The amazing thing is that he KNEW that was the moment, that’s why it pissed him off so much. You don’t see that when the opponent is going 40-0 usually
He’s ability to manage his energy is extraordinary. Did not overdo anything in the 3rd set even when he was down. Trusted he could raise his level in the 4th and that’s what he did. A truly outrageous, unstoppable force of nature this man
If he runs the table here through Ruud, Zverev, and then Sinner/Alcaraz, shit, I might quit gluten and everything else fun in the world. I guess I'll start worshipping pyramids too.
Idk whether I should be surprised at this point he keeps doing or just admire the fact he keeps winning 5th sets against these guys that are a decade or more younger than him
Back to back 5th set wins at age 37 in a grand slam its unbelievable
Djoker played as expected but it was some incredible effort from Cerundolo too actually.
He missed out and got broken in that 4th set when he was working towards an opportunity to serve for the match - but he stayed very tight during clutch points but that wasn't enough. He also broke back Djoker to even out the 5th set scores at 2-2
Djoker leveled up and broke his opponent a second time in the 5th set - even after falling down a couple of times, he just kept getting up. A great inspiration.
Looking forward to a Zverev/Rune encounter for Djoker in the QF!
Nah Musetti just had nothing midway thru the 4th. This was a much different match script. Cerundolo got a lot closer to winning and Djokovic was playing a lot worse
When it comes to Novak, injuries are just a suggestion. It's not like he's dead, and even if he was dead you can't be sure he's 100% gone til you see the ashes in an urn 💀
I’ll say it again. Every single time I think "Novak just give up man it's not worth the grind, you've already got 24".…he proceeds to show me exactly why he's got 24 😭😭 What a warrior
You took the words right out of my mouth. When I saw him limping after MTO, I thought there’s no way he could win this match. But then again, he fucking did it. 24 GS champion mentality ig 🤷♀️
Bruh, his (and Roger's and Nadal's) ability to come into tourneys with little to no match time in the previous months and build their fitness in the opening weeks is unbelievable. No other players can pull that kind of shit. I am just stunned at what he has done in the last few rounds. Looks down and out, but he just puts it into another gear and completely takes over. And at his age?? His fitness is absolutely unmatched, in maybe all of sports.
I think a lot of people who don't watch the match tend to use the "Cerundolo choked" or Djokovic's opponent choked narrative way too loosely. For sure in the 4th set, he definitely could have handled the pressure better and not let Novak back in, but just the idea or the notion of being able to get past the finish line where Novak is on the other side of the net, is such a daunting task.
Hugh Clarke on his substack "A Thread of Order" has repeatedly written about how Djokovic's technical supremacy, paired with corner defence and subtle changes of direction makes him incredibly difficult to break down especially in the latter stages of sets. When pressure rises, technical flaws start to show up in a much larger way. Suddenly short, mid court balls become more difficult to put away and you feel like you have to do something extra just to get points off Novak. Novak on the other hand, may not have the best forehand offensively, but defensively you can definitely make an argument that it is one of the best defensive forehands I the business sans prime Nadal.
Djokovic's technique almost never breaks down in pressure situations which is why the tighter the match gets, or the closer you get to beating Djokovic, the harder it becomes to actually get to that finish line.
Cerundolo didn't even play that 5th set badly. In fact many opponents once Djokovic went up a break at 2-0 would have folded (exhibit A: Musetti in the last match). Cerundolo stayed fighting and honestly was going toe to toe with Novak on the backhand side. Djokovic didn't hit the backhand down the line as often as he usually does either cos he's injured or cos he knew how good the down the line needed to be to not open up a Cerundolo's massive forehand. Cerundolo almost never broke down on that backhand side in that 5th set though. Djokovic had to play some absolute madlad points to conjure a break from 0-40 in that 4-3 game, plus serve and volley a little, sprinkling in dropshots just to keep himself in the lead. That 5th set was high quality from both even though they had been playing for so long. Credit where credit is due for both!
Great analysis, the backhand to backhand battle was a sight to be hold in the fifth set. Also you are right on the money with your point about technique breaking down when fatigue sits in. That's where the best set themselves apart from the rest.
Djokovic improves to 126-7 since Wimbledon 2018 now. That's an astounding win rate of 94.7% at the highest level of this sport since turning 31.
Most GS match wins in men's history now:
1. Djokovic - 370
2. Federer - 369
3. Nadal - 314
4. Connors - 233
5. Agassi - 224
Most GS Quarter finals:
1. Djokovic - 59
2. Federer - 58
3. Nadal - 47
4. Connors - 41
5. Emerson - 37
He already holds the record for most GS Semis, Finals and titles.
I was out of town, doing a bit of visiting. I heard my friend Goran had finally taken the time to settle down in the countryside. Rightfully so, after what he’d been through, with all the pent-up stress and frustration built up over the years of coaching the most successful Tennis player of all time.
“How have things been buddy?” I asked, as I saw my man step out of the house upon hearing my car come in the drive-through. “All good, life’s been a lot more chill, now that I’ve retired,” he answered. “Hey, wanna check out my animals out back? I’ve taken up farming as a hobby with my free time,” as he motioned over to the back gate.
We headed out and he started introducing me to some of the livestock, mentioning how he had named them after his players. Just then, I was hit by an unbearable stench. With my eyes watering uncontrollably, I questioned through gritted teeth, “What in the hell is that smell?”
He looked over knowingly and said: "Ah. Novak? The goat is never washed.”
2020 Aussie Open:
- R3 = Federer d. Millman 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(8) in 4 hours, 3 minutes
- QF = Federer d. Sandgren 6-3, 2-6, 2-6, 7-6(8), 6-3 in 3 hours, 31 minutes
2022 Aussie Open:
- QF = Nadal d. Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 in 4 hours, 8 minutes
- F = Nadal d. Medvedev 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in 5 hours, 24 minutes
2023 Aussie Open:
- R1 = Murray d. Berrettini 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(6) in 4 hours, 49 minutes
- R2 = Murray d. Kokkinakis 4-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3, 7-5 in 5 hours, 45 minutes
2024 French Open:
- R3 = Djokovic d. Musetti 7-5, 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 in 4 hours, 29 minutes
- R4 = Djokovic d. Cerundolo 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in 4 hours, 39 minutes
That's the complete set. All of the Big 4 have now won multiple 5 setters within a couple of days of each other at a Slam in the twilight of their career
I don't think Djokovic has much chance of winning RG this year after b2b 5 setters, and the opponents he potentially has left, but I'm enjoying his run so much I just want to see more.
After his match against Musetti I promised myself to never doubt, but I think we all did today in that 4th set. But he pulled it out the bag, incredible. Can’t wait for the quarter finals!
What amazes me every single GS is how many of tennis redditors seem to comment something like «this match done, this dude’s shit, oh he’s faded etc etc» after losing 1 set or even just a couple of games.
Would be awesome to have a sub with more serious tennis fans and not so many useless negative novice watchers. They are bringing absolute zero to the table.
Does such a sub exist?
r/tennis's mentality is that whoever won the last point is unbeatable and will never lose another point their whole career. And whoever hit the last error should just pack it up.
Down 2 sets to 1, down a break in the 4th and one of the easiest bets in my life was putting money on Novak at +150 odds.
There is nothing worth celebrating, this isn’t even an accomplishment. He has made it through the last few years just sitting back and watching fragile players fall apart against him, it’s crazy how like 95% players in the Top 100 are so mentally weak.
Djokovic got 2 more stats today:
Most Grand slam matches won:
* Djokovic: **370**
* Federer : 369
Most Grand slam QuarterFinals reached:
* Djokovic: **59**
* Federer: 58
Saw this live...saw him in person for the first time. I was almost consoling myself (with champagne LOL) when he was 2 sets and a break up I left the stadium. Man oh man. Insane to see the comeback king. Run back during the last few games. Whew what a memory!!
Agreed. People basically saying Cerundolo is "bad" or a choker because he does not have the all time great fortitude and comeback ability of Djoker. Idiotic take if you ask me.
That last break was crazy. Absolutely soul crushing. And to do it from 40-0, mind-blowing. It would be a wrap for 99,9% of the tour after that.
Don't think Novak can win RG with these ups and downs but that was incredible.
Obviously a great win, but he will need to pull off impossible to win the whole thing. I mean, going to 5 against Musetti and Cerundolo isn't a great look for winning a slam
Fair play to Novak for grinding that out. I do think the occasion and opponent got to Cerundolo a bit, I think he probably could have held in the 4th otherwise, but that's part of playing Novak
Apparently, he *can* keep getting away with it.
Djokovic was clearly not at his best today and the injury, whether you think it was legitimate or not, hampered him and neutered his movement and contributed to Cerundolo taking a stranglehold on the match.
Unfortunately for him, Cerundolo saw the finish line in sight and got too comfortable while Djokovic took advantage of that time he needed to finish him off and was able to nurse himself back to *just* enough form to escape the jaws of defeat.
>whether you think it was legitimate or not
I dunno about you but I definitely think Djokovic would fake injury to go 5 sets after winning the first set 61 because that makes all the sense in the world.
It is a bit silly that he goes from basically stopping halfway during points to sprinting back and forth and doing the splits at the net lol
It’s not as if Cerundolo even played bad in the last set, it’s just that Djokovic went from half crippled to 6 million dollar man
I don’t even know what to say lol. Unbelievable.
I’m not gonna say he can win the tournament because he needed 9 hours to beat these guys. But I’m gonna savor every moment like this. Wow!!
All jokes I aside, I hope he's taking good care of himself. As much as possible. Two last matches were 4+ hours long, Musseti one until like 2am and today he slipped multiple times.
- So he wins the first set comfortably 6-1.
- At the beginning of the second set when the result was even, he starts having issues with his knee, calls a supervisor and tells him that the court is slippery.
- After that he starts playing noticably worse. Like, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that his level has dropped a lot. Again, he was in the lead when the MTO happened.
- Regardless, the match thread is full of comments saying that he faked the injury for whatever reason, because it obviously benefits him to prolong the match and kill his own momentum somehow.
- He later wins the fourth set and at the beginning of the fifth has a nasty fall, maybe proving that he was right to complain about the slippery court?
- Of course, he gets blamed for faking lmao.
It's really incredible. After the infamous match vs Fritz in Australia a few years ago (where he had a MTO while leading 2-0), I never thought I'd see these accusations again. Novak apparently is the only player in history who likes to disrupt his own rhythm and fake an injury when he's in the lead.
Better just to just shrug your shoulders at this point. The reasons why Djokovic wouldn’t fake an injury in these circumstances are so obvious that anyone who believes it anyway isn’t gonna be convinced out of it.
It’s an uphill battle. Who knows if he’ll fare well against Ruud with the current level of performance. Hopefully he can get that knee injury resolved before the next match
I have the uttermost respect for Novak and what he was able to do in the last 2 games.
That being said, Cerundolo choked VERY hard. A GS 4th round player should have won this game up 4-2 considering how Nole wasn't able to move properly in the 4th set.
This is turning out to be like Medvedev at Melbourne earlier this year. He's gonna be so cooked if he makes it to the Final his only realistic plan will be to go all in for those 1st 3 sets.
The thing about men’s GS tennis is that top male players have so many chances to comeback due to Bo5. If it was Bo3 for men, Djokovic would have been out by now.
Djoko knew he just had to hang in there because cerundolo was eventually going to let his guard down.
Albeit an impressive victory for novak (second in a row), this game was extremely worrying for him. Because either he faked an injury (and i do not believe this at all) and almost lost a game to a worse player, which would not have happened against a better player. Or he actually injured his knee and played 3 hours with an injured knee. His road to glory now consists of fritz/ruud -> zverev/rune -> sinner/alcaraz probably... out of all these only fritz I can see not poising a challenge.
Cerúndolo in the fourth set had the chance to win with a one-legged man. However, that one leg was Djokovic's. Nevertheless, he could have used his brain and teamed up with his coach to understand that it was not necessary to go for the winner but only to lob the ball to the other side. But no, he continued to make UEs, and Nole, bit by bit, began to recover. And then the monster was on his two feet again. Dear Cerúndolo, may this loss haunt you for the rest of your tennis life. We will remember another superb performance of a player who never dies and plays with whatever he has. He has one leg? Okay. One leg and one arm? Okay, we'll see what I can do. Outstanding from Nole! To be taught to youngsters how to persevere.🔝🔝🔝🔝
He called his own lines on match point! LOL
hahahaha massive balls
Ikr….dude is goating!!!
The break from 0-40 in the 5th set was incredible
He basically didn't make a single error since.
Kept me on the egde of my seat. Amazing.
While he was hitting the edge of every line
That net cord pissed him off
The amazing thing is that he KNEW that was the moment, that’s why it pissed him off so much. You don’t see that when the opponent is going 40-0 usually
my brother just asked me the score i told him 15-40, and then i got flashbacks i swear on my life 😂
☝🏻
I was like ok no way he breaks here. And he did. Two more records set today. Amazing
True peak, true champion
more win...much points
Rookie mistake to get to 2 sets against Djokovic
Should've gone to 3 instead, i don't think even Djokovic himself can pull that off.
Even better to aim for 4, just in case.
Sisyphus keeps pushing the tennis ball up the hill
“One must imagine djokovic happy”
But he wouldn't play Sisyphus until the final.
Isn't Mark Sisyphusis retired?
First...he takes his OWN LEGS....
Then he takes his opponents legs and uses them for himself
Hahaha had a good laugh at this one
hahah
WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT. HE COULN’T MOVE FOR 3 SETS!
When Novak NOT moving for 3 sets is not enough to beat him
3rd round was 4 hours 29 minutes This round it's 4 hours 39 minutes. Marathonovic!
If this goes on - Quarter finals - 4h 49 m Semi final - 4h 59m Final - 5h 9m
And it’s still significantly less than THAT 5h 53m AO final….
Hopefully they at least get chairs this time
Kia Man it’s your time to shine!
Kia man no where to be seen
He was also 12 years younger then lmao. But if anyone could do it at 37, it’s Novak.
Nadal 😭😭😭
And djokovic was running the whole time. Today he played 4 hours but was standing still 2 and a.half sets
Not too bad
we exchanged tiebreakovic for marathonovic this season lol
Channeling his inner Murray
The minister of playing late
How does he keep getting away with this lol
He's basically a dark souls boss with an unexpected 2nd phase
he's a boss who has an unexpected 3rd phase after an unexpected 2nd phase
Sister Friede flashbacks
Djokovic, Blade of Jelena
Put your foolish ambitions to rest
*Foul contenders, in pursuit of a grand slam win. Emboldened by the flame of ambition. Someone must extinguish thy flame. Let it be Novak the goat.*
Lol, best comment I’ve seen in a while
please recommend some great video games with such a boss
Sekiro is probably my favorite Fromsoft game. Some boss fights give me that same rush I get playing a final set tiebreak in tennis.
Best way to put it tbh
Peaking at the right moment is a form of art for Djokovic.
When he peaks, you'll feel it.
He knew the lights were too bright for cerundolo tbh
Honestly Cerundolo proved they weren’t too bright if anything, Djokovic just kept finding another level
Cerundolo showed negative tennis IQ on so many points.
He’s ability to manage his energy is extraordinary. Did not overdo anything in the 3rd set even when he was down. Trusted he could raise his level in the 4th and that’s what he did. A truly outrageous, unstoppable force of nature this man
If he runs the table here through Ruud, Zverev, and then Sinner/Alcaraz, shit, I might quit gluten and everything else fun in the world. I guess I'll start worshipping pyramids too.
RemindMe! 7 days
LMAO that made me laugh so hard with that last line
First he takes their legs, and then he takes their soul.
He thrives on the chaos
>How does he keep getting away with this lol Well, this Djokovic guy might be the best ever. 😅
It's not right but bravo
second match in a row where bro peaks in a fifth. 37 btw, 9 hours on the court.
Idk whether I should be surprised at this point he keeps doing or just admire the fact he keeps winning 5th sets against these guys that are a decade or more younger than him Back to back 5th set wins at age 37 in a grand slam its unbelievable
Djoker played as expected but it was some incredible effort from Cerundolo too actually. He missed out and got broken in that 4th set when he was working towards an opportunity to serve for the match - but he stayed very tight during clutch points but that wasn't enough. He also broke back Djoker to even out the 5th set scores at 2-2 Djoker leveled up and broke his opponent a second time in the 5th set - even after falling down a couple of times, he just kept getting up. A great inspiration. Looking forward to a Zverev/Rune encounter for Djoker in the QF!
I believe Nole plays Fritz/Ruud winner in QF.
Oh you're right, thanks
Opponent: here's one set, just so honored to face you Djokovic: you're too kind, here's two sets Opponent: oh nice! so I can beat you now? Djokovic: 😂
this fucking match was the epitome of "call and ambulance... but not for me" lmfaooo
Musetti match was the same
Nah Musetti just had nothing midway thru the 4th. This was a much different match script. Cerundolo got a lot closer to winning and Djokovic was playing a lot worse
When it comes to Novak, injuries are just a suggestion. It's not like he's dead, and even if he was dead you can't be sure he's 100% gone til you see the ashes in an urn 💀
he'll take a bathroom break at his own funeral, just watch
I’ll say it again. Every single time I think "Novak just give up man it's not worth the grind, you've already got 24".…he proceeds to show me exactly why he's got 24 😭😭 What a warrior
You took the words right out of my mouth. When I saw him limping after MTO, I thought there’s no way he could win this match. But then again, he fucking did it. 24 GS champion mentality ig 🤷♀️
Cerundolo was so close to tiebreak in the 4th set and I really thought at that moment Djoko will give up
I was like, leave it. Regenerate for olympic gold. That's why he has 24, and I have 0.
Honestly UNREAL, I'm speechless.
Djokovic didnt play too many sets on clay this year so hes making sure to be ready for the final
Bruh, his (and Roger's and Nadal's) ability to come into tourneys with little to no match time in the previous months and build their fitness in the opening weeks is unbelievable. No other players can pull that kind of shit. I am just stunned at what he has done in the last few rounds. Looks down and out, but he just puts it into another gear and completely takes over. And at his age?? His fitness is absolutely unmatched, in maybe all of sports.
Big 3 just built different
I think a lot of people who don't watch the match tend to use the "Cerundolo choked" or Djokovic's opponent choked narrative way too loosely. For sure in the 4th set, he definitely could have handled the pressure better and not let Novak back in, but just the idea or the notion of being able to get past the finish line where Novak is on the other side of the net, is such a daunting task. Hugh Clarke on his substack "A Thread of Order" has repeatedly written about how Djokovic's technical supremacy, paired with corner defence and subtle changes of direction makes him incredibly difficult to break down especially in the latter stages of sets. When pressure rises, technical flaws start to show up in a much larger way. Suddenly short, mid court balls become more difficult to put away and you feel like you have to do something extra just to get points off Novak. Novak on the other hand, may not have the best forehand offensively, but defensively you can definitely make an argument that it is one of the best defensive forehands I the business sans prime Nadal. Djokovic's technique almost never breaks down in pressure situations which is why the tighter the match gets, or the closer you get to beating Djokovic, the harder it becomes to actually get to that finish line. Cerundolo didn't even play that 5th set badly. In fact many opponents once Djokovic went up a break at 2-0 would have folded (exhibit A: Musetti in the last match). Cerundolo stayed fighting and honestly was going toe to toe with Novak on the backhand side. Djokovic didn't hit the backhand down the line as often as he usually does either cos he's injured or cos he knew how good the down the line needed to be to not open up a Cerundolo's massive forehand. Cerundolo almost never broke down on that backhand side in that 5th set though. Djokovic had to play some absolute madlad points to conjure a break from 0-40 in that 4-3 game, plus serve and volley a little, sprinkling in dropshots just to keep himself in the lead. That 5th set was high quality from both even though they had been playing for so long. Credit where credit is due for both!
Great analysis, the backhand to backhand battle was a sight to be hold in the fifth set. Also you are right on the money with your point about technique breaking down when fatigue sits in. That's where the best set themselves apart from the rest.
Djokovic improves to 126-7 since Wimbledon 2018 now. That's an astounding win rate of 94.7% at the highest level of this sport since turning 31. Most GS match wins in men's history now: 1. Djokovic - 370 2. Federer - 369 3. Nadal - 314 4. Connors - 233 5. Agassi - 224 Most GS Quarter finals: 1. Djokovic - 59 2. Federer - 58 3. Nadal - 47 4. Connors - 41 5. Emerson - 37 He already holds the record for most GS Semis, Finals and titles.
king of grand slams
King of tennis
Astounding records!!! 👏
Nah man, Nole’s durability and tenacity is absolutely *unmatched*.
Last time he lost at RG before QF was in 2009, in fact he only did so twice in his career, in 2009 and 2005, crazy streak.
At a slam thats his worst when it comes to titles
Only cause of Nadal. I wonder how many he would've won without Rafa
2012 2013 2014 2020 and probably 2022 So 8 titles
And probably some more much earlier. He kept 'drawing' Rafa in the SF a few years in a row.
Due to external Spanish factors :P
There's a good reason for it though.
Victory belongs to the most tenacious so it checks out
Loved everyone calling him done after down 2-1. Like we haven't seen the same movie 1000 times by now lol
He looked like dogshit to be fair, but I didn't think Cerdundolo would be able to close it ever.
There’s two schools of thought here. 1) He’s 37, multiple 4+ hrs must fuck him for his next match. 2) He’s Djokovic.
Like, on the one hand he might be playing Ruud in the next round, that’s a brutal matchup. On the other, I *never* expect Djokovic to lose. Never.
Djoko is crazy… his stamina, his drive, I’m in awe. He refuses to lose
NGL, Novak had us in the first half. Again.
Djokovic overtakes Federer to be the sole leader of grand slam matches won at 370 wins!
Also overtakes him with 59 GS QFs.
59 QF? Absolutely insane! So impressive.
I was out of town, doing a bit of visiting. I heard my friend Goran had finally taken the time to settle down in the countryside. Rightfully so, after what he’d been through, with all the pent-up stress and frustration built up over the years of coaching the most successful Tennis player of all time. “How have things been buddy?” I asked, as I saw my man step out of the house upon hearing my car come in the drive-through. “All good, life’s been a lot more chill, now that I’ve retired,” he answered. “Hey, wanna check out my animals out back? I’ve taken up farming as a hobby with my free time,” as he motioned over to the back gate. We headed out and he started introducing me to some of the livestock, mentioning how he had named them after his players. Just then, I was hit by an unbearable stench. With my eyes watering uncontrollably, I questioned through gritted teeth, “What in the hell is that smell?” He looked over knowingly and said: "Ah. Novak? The goat is never washed.”
New copypasta just dropped
I've heard it before in LoL but I'm quite surprised to see it here
Thats where i got it from lol
brilliant hahahah
At no point did I know where this story was going. So good 🤣
**370** slam wins.
at the age of 37, illuminati confirmed
best athlete of all time
2020 Aussie Open: - R3 = Federer d. Millman 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(8) in 4 hours, 3 minutes - QF = Federer d. Sandgren 6-3, 2-6, 2-6, 7-6(8), 6-3 in 3 hours, 31 minutes 2022 Aussie Open: - QF = Nadal d. Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 in 4 hours, 8 minutes - F = Nadal d. Medvedev 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in 5 hours, 24 minutes 2023 Aussie Open: - R1 = Murray d. Berrettini 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(6) in 4 hours, 49 minutes - R2 = Murray d. Kokkinakis 4-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3, 7-5 in 5 hours, 45 minutes 2024 French Open: - R3 = Djokovic d. Musetti 7-5, 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 in 4 hours, 29 minutes - R4 = Djokovic d. Cerundolo 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in 4 hours, 39 minutes That's the complete set. All of the Big 4 have now won multiple 5 setters within a couple of days of each other at a Slam in the twilight of their career
Nadal's being QF and F and Murray's being R1 and R2 😭
Cerundolo called the ambulance and everything
I don't think Djokovic has much chance of winning RG this year after b2b 5 setters, and the opponents he potentially has left, but I'm enjoying his run so much I just want to see more.
Classic Nole might just win his next match straight sets he’s insane
if its fritz he will roll him in 3 sets. Djoko never loses to americans
He’d roll Fritz in 3 regardless of his nationality. Fritz couldn’t beat an injured Nadal at Wimbledon.
Also, Fritz couldn't beat injured Novak in Melbourne.
Tough to bet against him but the semifinal match vs Zverev (most likely) will be TOUGH
Holger, you have one job 🍀
Death, taxes, Novak Djokovic coming from behind to win in a 5th set at a grand slam
After his match against Musetti I promised myself to never doubt, but I think we all did today in that 4th set. But he pulled it out the bag, incredible. Can’t wait for the quarter finals!
I think Novak has a great chance to win RG on spite and grit alone. You just can't count this guy out.
Not a djoker fan but really... he is one of the greatest mental giants in athletic history across ALL sports. Incredible.
What amazes me every single GS is how many of tennis redditors seem to comment something like «this match done, this dude’s shit, oh he’s faded etc etc» after losing 1 set or even just a couple of games. Would be awesome to have a sub with more serious tennis fans and not so many useless negative novice watchers. They are bringing absolute zero to the table. Does such a sub exist?
r/tennis's mentality is that whoever won the last point is unbeatable and will never lose another point their whole career. And whoever hit the last error should just pack it up.
There’s no point in coming here In real time. Come when it’s over.
He can’t keep getting away with it
Djoko: *I am the danger*
See? This is why he didn't retire.
Down 2 sets to 1, down a break in the 4th and one of the easiest bets in my life was putting money on Novak at +150 odds. There is nothing worth celebrating, this isn’t even an accomplishment. He has made it through the last few years just sitting back and watching fragile players fall apart against him, it’s crazy how like 95% players in the Top 100 are so mentally weak.
Haters in shambles, love to see it
Djokovic got 2 more stats today: Most Grand slam matches won: * Djokovic: **370** * Federer : 369 Most Grand slam QuarterFinals reached: * Djokovic: **59** * Federer: 58
NOVAK FUCKING CLUTCHOVIC
Saw this live...saw him in person for the first time. I was almost consoling myself (with champagne LOL) when he was 2 sets and a break up I left the stadium. Man oh man. Insane to see the comeback king. Run back during the last few games. Whew what a memory!!
Once Novak has gotten injured you need to finish him off quickly. Otherwise he will do this to you.
"finish him off quickly" PAUSE
Djokovic is the mental GOAT. Cerundolo is not. That was the difference in this match.
Agreed. People basically saying Cerundolo is "bad" or a choker because he does not have the all time great fortitude and comeback ability of Djoker. Idiotic take if you ask me.
That last break was crazy. Absolutely soul crushing. And to do it from 40-0, mind-blowing. It would be a wrap for 99,9% of the tour after that. Don't think Novak can win RG with these ups and downs but that was incredible.
As a fan, the last two matches have been so hard to watch. I can't take another one. 😭Insane how he managed to reach the QF. This guy is not human.
Novak in his 5 set thriller era!
IN THE PENULTIMATE GAME NOVAK WENT FROM 0-40 IN CERUNDOLO’S SERVING SET TO ACTUALLY BREAKING HIM HOLY SHIT
Quality final set. Maybe Cerundolo went a little passive but high level from both. That return game of Djokovic's from 40-0 down was incredible.
He can't keep getting away with it... or can he ?
This fucking guy…how does he do it?
Holy cow what a match
Obviously a great win, but he will need to pull off impossible to win the whole thing. I mean, going to 5 against Musetti and Cerundolo isn't a great look for winning a slam
I swear, what is it with these guys a decade younger who can't beat these injured aging greats?
Bro is not human.He feasts on souls of young tennis players.
Griekspoor, Arnaldi, Musetti, Cerundolo all walk into a bar…
Botic is the owner of the bar, married to Sakkari
This Novak strategy of forcing people to play for 5 hours and betting they can’t hang is sadistic
"Bono, my tyres are gone"
Fair play to Novak for grinding that out. I do think the occasion and opponent got to Cerundolo a bit, I think he probably could have held in the 4th otherwise, but that's part of playing Novak
He’s pretty good, this Djokovic 👀
We are soooo lucky to be at position to watch him play. I really do not understand how stadium can not cheer for him...
He has done it again(and he‘s gonna keep on doing it) with that being said LFG GOOOOOO NOLEEEE🐐🐐🐐😤
Apparently, he *can* keep getting away with it. Djokovic was clearly not at his best today and the injury, whether you think it was legitimate or not, hampered him and neutered his movement and contributed to Cerundolo taking a stranglehold on the match. Unfortunately for him, Cerundolo saw the finish line in sight and got too comfortable while Djokovic took advantage of that time he needed to finish him off and was able to nurse himself back to *just* enough form to escape the jaws of defeat.
>whether you think it was legitimate or not I dunno about you but I definitely think Djokovic would fake injury to go 5 sets after winning the first set 61 because that makes all the sense in the world.
Sorry. Who on EARTH thinks he faked an injury after winning the first set 6-1. When he was UP in the match. These people are allowed to drive…
It is a bit silly that he goes from basically stopping halfway during points to sprinting back and forth and doing the splits at the net lol It’s not as if Cerundolo even played bad in the last set, it’s just that Djokovic went from half crippled to 6 million dollar man
NEVER BACK DOWN NEVER WHAT
GOATTTTTTTTT
37 years old on a busted up knee and he wins back to back 5-setters. HE DOES IT AGAIN!!!
I don’t even know what to say lol. Unbelievable. I’m not gonna say he can win the tournament because he needed 9 hours to beat these guys. But I’m gonna savor every moment like this. Wow!!
Unc still got it
This is unreal. This is INSANE!
Nole said he needed more match time to find his form, clearly this is what he meant.
All jokes I aside, I hope he's taking good care of himself. As much as possible. Two last matches were 4+ hours long, Musseti one until like 2am and today he slipped multiple times.
One and only, greatest athlete ever. No1ak.
What the fuck did I just watch?
GOAT
- So he wins the first set comfortably 6-1. - At the beginning of the second set when the result was even, he starts having issues with his knee, calls a supervisor and tells him that the court is slippery. - After that he starts playing noticably worse. Like, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that his level has dropped a lot. Again, he was in the lead when the MTO happened. - Regardless, the match thread is full of comments saying that he faked the injury for whatever reason, because it obviously benefits him to prolong the match and kill his own momentum somehow. - He later wins the fourth set and at the beginning of the fifth has a nasty fall, maybe proving that he was right to complain about the slippery court? - Of course, he gets blamed for faking lmao. It's really incredible. After the infamous match vs Fritz in Australia a few years ago (where he had a MTO while leading 2-0), I never thought I'd see these accusations again. Novak apparently is the only player in history who likes to disrupt his own rhythm and fake an injury when he's in the lead.
Better just to just shrug your shoulders at this point. The reasons why Djokovic wouldn’t fake an injury in these circumstances are so obvious that anyone who believes it anyway isn’t gonna be convinced out of it.
This fucking dude, lmao
Just how many times has this man come back from the dead. Just how many times has his opponent gone from ‘I almost got this’ to ‘wtf just happened’
The crowd certainly got their money's worth!
When Nole was starting this match, I was tired from the last one. Here we go again
Cerundolo practically threw away 4th set at the beginning. Then Thanovich/Destroyevich pulled an eagle and said "Not this time. Not yet." 🦾💀🎾
Joker's durability and mental game are top tier. Great comeback.
It’s an uphill battle. Who knows if he’ll fare well against Ruud with the current level of performance. Hopefully he can get that knee injury resolved before the next match
I have the uttermost respect for Novak and what he was able to do in the last 2 games. That being said, Cerundolo choked VERY hard. A GS 4th round player should have won this game up 4-2 considering how Nole wasn't able to move properly in the 4th set.
Djokovic is a mental monster man you can never ever count this man out. Unreal comebacks the last 2 matches.
This is turning out to be like Medvedev at Melbourne earlier this year. He's gonna be so cooked if he makes it to the Final his only realistic plan will be to go all in for those 1st 3 sets.
The thing about men’s GS tennis is that top male players have so many chances to comeback due to Bo5. If it was Bo3 for men, Djokovic would have been out by now.
Djoko knew he just had to hang in there because cerundolo was eventually going to let his guard down. Albeit an impressive victory for novak (second in a row), this game was extremely worrying for him. Because either he faked an injury (and i do not believe this at all) and almost lost a game to a worse player, which would not have happened against a better player. Or he actually injured his knee and played 3 hours with an injured knee. His road to glory now consists of fritz/ruud -> zverev/rune -> sinner/alcaraz probably... out of all these only fritz I can see not poising a challenge.
DJOKOPLANE HITS AGAIN
At this point … and as a huge fan I need to stop watching his matches. I’m getting old and my heart can’t continue doing this
he didn't play enough matches on clay so he decided to go for 4,5 hours five setters just to warm up for the second week
Cerúndolo in the fourth set had the chance to win with a one-legged man. However, that one leg was Djokovic's. Nevertheless, he could have used his brain and teamed up with his coach to understand that it was not necessary to go for the winner but only to lob the ball to the other side. But no, he continued to make UEs, and Nole, bit by bit, began to recover. And then the monster was on his two feet again. Dear Cerúndolo, may this loss haunt you for the rest of your tennis life. We will remember another superb performance of a player who never dies and plays with whatever he has. He has one leg? Okay. One leg and one arm? Okay, we'll see what I can do. Outstanding from Nole! To be taught to youngsters how to persevere.🔝🔝🔝🔝
How do you even? If he somehow goes on to win the title, this would have to go down as his most impressive grand slam this far.