Novak Djokovic wins record 370th Grand Slam match at French Open

PARIS --  Novak Djokovic was bothered by his right knee, then found himself down a set and a break, before doing what he does so well, coming back to beat No. 23 Francisco Cerundolo 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the French Open's fourth round on Monday for his record 370th win in a Grand Slam match.

"I was," Djokovic said, "maybe three or four points away from losing this match."

Djokovic, the defending champion at Roland Garros, broke a tie with Roger Federer for the most match wins at major tournaments -- and also for the most Slam quarterfinals for a man by reaching the 59th of his career.

And the No. 1-ranked Djokovic did it in ways that have become familiar through his years of dominance and 24 major trophies, both turning around a contest after trailing and emerging when the tension is greatest.

This victory across more than 4½ hours means that Djokovic is now 40-11 in fifth sets over his career.

For Djokovic, it was the second consecutive match that lasted more than 4 hours. In the third round, he also fell behind in sets 2-1 but made his way past No. 30 Lorenzo Musetti, 22, from Italy, finishing Sunday after 3 a.m. -- the latest finish in French Open history.

"How did I find the way to win again? I don't know," Djokovic told the crowd following the match. "The only explanation I have is you. Thank you."

Against Cerundolo, 25, from Argentina, who was trying to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, Djokovic, 37, again used all of his skills, experience and ability to adjust on the fly. He came through, in part, by playing more aggressively and putting extra speed on his groundstrokes, while dealing with whatever was going on with his knee.

Djokovic trailed 4-2 in the fourth set but surged from there.

At 2-1 in the fifth set, Djokovic's feet gave way as he chased a ball to his right, and he rolled on the ground, caking his white shorts, his red shirt and parts of his arms and legs with the rust-colored clay. As he walked to the sideline to grab a bottle of water to help clean off, he gave a piece of his mind to anyone who would listen, renewing an earlier complaint about wanting the court to be swept to improve traction.

"Well done, supervisor and everybody," Djokovic said, his voice drenched in sarcasm. "Not slippery at all."

Yet he was just fine at 3-all in that set, when he stretched and slid, doing the splits, while somehow getting his racket on the ball for a drop volley to win a point. His chest on the ground, Djokovic stuck out both arms, mimicking an airplane, and smiled.

The first signs of trouble came much earlier, in the second set, when Djokovic began flexing his right leg. He took a medical timeout and laid down on a towel placed on the sideline, where a trainer massaged that knee then had Djokovic flip onto his belly to work on his hamstring.

Djokovic winced as his right leg was manipulated, a scene repeated at subsequent changeovers.

During play, Djokovic stumbled occasionally. Or limped a bit. After some lengthier points, he leaned on his racket or bent at the waist and rested with his hands on his knees or crouched.

When he missed a backhand that allowed Cerundolo to convert a break point for the first time in 13 tries, Djokovic handed over the second set. Soon, Djokovic was staring at a hole of two sets to one. And not long after that, he was down 4-2 in the fourth.

His quarterfinal opponent Wednesday will be two-time French Open runner-up Casper Ruud or No. 12 Taylor Fritz. The other men's matchup that day will be No. 11 Alex de Minaur against No. 4 Alexander Zverev or No. 13 Holger Rune.

On Monday, de Minaur defeated No. 5 Daniil Medvedev 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 to become the first Australian man in the French Open quarterfinals since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004.