Djokovic overcomes 19-year-old Musetti after being two sets down to reach QF

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic faced his first tough test at the French Open 2021 as he nearly lost out on a quarter-final spot to Italian youngster Lorenzo Musetti on Monday. Aiming to make it to his second consecutive French Open final, 15th overall quarter-final at the Slam and take the Novak Djokovic Grand Slam record to a massive 19 titles, the Serb came into his Round 4 match with some pressure on himself. Having not dropped a single set so far in this series Djokovic’s sudden drop in form - that too, against the World No. 76 - came as a shock to fans. 

French Open 2021: Novak Djokovic vs Musetti highlights

An unlikely contender at the French Open 2021, Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti gave Novak Djokovic a good fright as he pushed past the 2020 runner up to go up 2 sets to love in their Round 4 encounter. Beating the master at his own game, Musetti took both tie-breakers in the match, winning the second one with a flawless 7-2 margin. However, the 19-year-old’s inexperience and lack of time playing best-of-five games came through as the match approached set three. Djokovic looked utterly out of place as the youngster cut through his game with ease.

However, the 19-year-old’s inexperience and lack of time playing best-of-five games came through as the match approached set three. Used to playing tour-level matches, Musetti’s form took a noticeable turn at the two-hour mark, just as the World No.1 was starting to get warmed up. A specialist in winning games that go long, Djokovic was quick to pick up and capitalize on Musetti's troubles, taking the third set with an easy 6-1 and the fourth set 6-0 in less than an hour. On the verge of losing the game, the Italian handed Djokovic a walkover while 0-4 down in the decider.

Who will Novak Djokovic face in quarter-final?

With Roger Federer pulling out halfway through the French Open 2021, Novak Djokovic will now fav another Italian firebrand - Matteo Berrettini - in the quarter-final. The match is set to take place on Wednesday, June 9 from Court Phillippe-Chartier. The two men have only met once before on the tour, playing a round-robin game at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2019. Djokovic won the match 6-2, 6-1 to take his head to head against Berrettini to 1-0. If he goes through, Djokovic will set up a highly anticipated semi-final match against 13-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal.

In addition to the Novak Djokovic Grand Slam record, another major record on the line for the Serb is a chance to become the first of the Big Three to complete the elusive career Grand Slam - winning at least two titles at each of the four majors.

Image Credits: Novak Djokovic Twitter