Djokovic Cruises Past Norrie To Reach Record-Breaking 19th French Open Quarter-Final
Novak Djokovic stormed into uncharted territory at Roland Garros on Monday, securing a record-breaking 19th French Open quarter-final appearance with a dominant straight-sets victory over Britain’s Cameron Norrie.
The 38-year-old Serb, aiming for a historic 25th Grand Slam title, dispatched Norrie 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 on Court Philippe Chatrier to mark his 100th career win at the tournament. With this triumph, Djokovic surpasses all others for most quarter-final appearances at a single Grand Slam event.
“I feel good. I know I can play better. But 12 sets played, 12 sets won — it’s been solid so far,” Djokovic said after the match. “It’s great, but victory number 101 would be better. I’m very honoured… But I need to continue now.”
The sixth seed now sets up a high-stakes quarter-final clash with third seed Alexander Zverev on Wednesday — a renewal of a fierce rivalry that saw Djokovic retire injured during their Australian Open semi-final encounter in January. Djokovic leads their head-to-head 8-5.
“He’s 10 years younger. He calls himself a veteran of the game. What should I call myself, then?” Djokovic said while talking about the 27-year-old German.
Despite a chaotic return to his hotel the previous night following Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League title celebrations, which included street unrest and delays due to crowd trouble, Djokovic appeared unfazed.
“They (security) were suggesting us at one point not to go back at all… some gas bombs and cars under fire and stuff happening on the street,” he revealed. “In the end, we reached the hotel all good, but it was quite noisy… Understandably, people are so excited.”
Earlier, PSG forward Ousmane Dembele presented the Champions League trophy to the crowd ahead of Djokovic’s match, further energizing the Parisian atmosphere.
On the court, Djokovic was clinical. He broke Norrie three times in the opening set and survived a tense moment in the second, saving a break point before holding serve and cruising to victory.
Norrie, a former top-10 player now ranked 81st, has now lost all six career meetings with the Serbian legend.
