Novak Djokovic, message to Jannik Sinner: shakes and then beats Cerundolo

A long battle, with an attached message to the great rival for the world throne.

Novak Djokovic sends a message to Jannik Sinner and advances to the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, despite struggling mightily against Francisco Cerundolo. Indeed, the Serb prevailed in five sets, coming back from a two-set disadvantage and imposing himself in over four and a half hours with the score of 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. A useful paw also to try to confirm number 1 on the ATP circuit, also in the sights of the South Tyrolean outfielder.

For Djokovic, the challenge with Cerundolo seemed to go downhill in the first set, in which the Argentine brought home only the second game and then ceded service to his opponent in the fourth and sixth. Nole on the fourth attempt takes the set, but already in the next one his afternoon suddenly changes. His opponent builds up and fails to exploit as many as eight break points: the good one è the ninth, which comes in the twelfth game and earns him the 7-5.

For Cerundolo, the streak continued to even five games in a row, as the third set opened with his 3-0 lead. Just enough to win it, as Djokovic fails to get any breaks. And the Serb also trembles at the beginning of the fourth set, as he è him to surrender his 3-2 serve to his rival. The tiebreaker materialized on 4-4, the overtake on 7-5 taking advantage of the fourth break point in one game. In difficulty and for a long time also very nervous, the number 1 of the ATP circuit closes the accounts in the fifth set thanks to the breaks of 2-0 and then 5-3 after an attempt in extremis by Cerundolo to get back in the match at 2-1.

Djokovic thus advances to the quarterfinals of Roland Garros and watches from afar the path of Jannik Sinner who è on the opposite side of the scoreboard and will faceà Grigor Dimitrov with the semifinals up for grabs. The two may only cross paths in the final act of the Paris tournament, but any stumbles before then could weigh heavily on the future of tennis world throne.