Djokovic Sets Record with 19th French Open Quarterfinal Appearance

Novak Djokovic cruised into a record-setting 19th Roland Garros quarter-final with a straight-sets win over Cameron Norrie on Monday.

The three-time French Open champion dispatched Norrie 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 on Court Philippe Chatrier and will face third seed Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

Djokovic’s 19 quarter-final appearances at Roland Garros now stand as the most at a single Grand Slam event in history.

“I feel good. I know I can play better. But 12 sets played, 12 sets won, it’s been solid so far,” said the 38-year-old after his 100th French Open win.

“It’s great, but victory number 101 would be better. I’m very honoured… But I need to continue now.”

Djokovic holds an 8-5 lead in his head-to-head encounters with Germany’s Alexander Zverev, although their most recent clash ended with the Serbian retiring due to injury during the Australian Open semi-finals in January.

“He’s 10 years younger. He calls himself a veteran of the game. What should I call myself, then?,” Djokovic said of his next opponent.

Britain’s Cameron Norrie, once ranked in the top 10 and now sitting at 81st, has suffered defeat in all six of his encounters with Novak Djokovic.

The sixth-seeded Djokovic displayed no signs of fatigue from what he described as a “complicated” return to his hotel on Sunday night, following his attendance at Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League title celebrations at the Parc des Princes.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé presented the Champions League trophy to the crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier just before Novak Djokovic’s match, adding a celebratory touch to the atmosphere at Roland Garros.

“They (security) were suggesting us at one point not to go back at all, to maybe find a place to sleep somewhere around here for a night, because at that point it was already past midnight and some gas bombs and cars under fire and stuff happening on the street that was really dangerous,” Djokovic said.

“In the end we talked. We waited for a bit, and then we decided to go. Then it was fine. In the end we reached the hotel all good, but it was quite noisy with a lot of things happening outside of the hotel…

“At some point it was getting out of hand, but it’s understandable that people are so excited.”

The Serbian star, aiming to set a new outright record of 25 Grand Slam titles this week, took control of the match early against Norrie.

He broke serve three times in a dominant first set and held firm in a tighter second, notably saving a break point before securing a 3-2 lead.

Despite reaching the second week in Paris for the first time, Norrie offered minimal resistance in the third set, as Djokovic sealed the win on his first match point.