Novak Djokovic breezed easily into the quarterfinals of Roland Garros by defeating Juan Pablos Varillas in the 4th round. He played immaculately and completed the match in three sets: 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. With the victory, the Serbian stormed into his 17th quarterfinal stage at Roland Garros in the 19 times that Djokovic has played at Roland Garros. Interestingly, Novak Djokovic has now reached more quarterfinals at Roland Garros than the 14-time champion Rafael Nadal himself.
The Serb has not dropped a single set so far at Roland Garros. He has looked injury- and pain-free and is moving with the well-known Djokovic athleticism. He has been almost clinical in his matches so far. But the road ahead might not prove as easy for the 36-year-old, as there are going to be tougher matches with tougher opponents. But that’s not a big cause for worry for the experienced Djokovic. After the 4th round match, he told the press, “I really enjoyed it; it was my best performance in the tournament so far.“
Novak Djokovic mentioned he felt in much better control than he did in the last couple of months of 2023. “[I’m] definitely better than I did in the last couple of months,” said Djokovic. Reflecting on his first week and his great win in the 4th round the Serb said, “It (4th round win) came exactly at the right time, as I’m coming into the second week and obviously playing another quarter-final, the matches are going to get tougher. Bigger challenges, but I like the way I’m playing and the way I’m feeling, so I look forward to a new challenge.”
Novak Djokovic on the path to creating more history
Novak Djokovic is very well-versed in what is online with this French Open win for him. If the Serb wins the title, it would be a personal best of three French Opens for him. But what sweetens the deal for the player is that he would reach a record 23 Grand Slam titles and also re-clinch the World No. 1 spot. In the post-match conference, he was asked whether all these opportunities to create Grand Slam history made him nervous.
The Serb replied nonchalantly, “The past 10 days have been the best that I have felt since the Australian Open, so that’s good. That’s positive news. I just have to keep going and not allow myself to think too far ahead, but I’m on a good path.”
The Serb will be taking on Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinal match. This is only the second time the Russian has reached the quarterfinals of the French Open, but he is coming into the quarterfinals with some great wins. Khachanov has had some great wins in 2023 and good success. It will be an interesting duel between World No. 11 and World No. 3, though the odds are heavily in favor of Djokovic. The Serb has won eight of the nine matches the two have played in the past.
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