Djokovic sets record for most wins at major tournaments

Novak Djokovic has become the player with the most wins at major tennis tournaments.

On Tuesday, Djokovic, the world No. 1, defeated Francisco Cerundolo in straight sets, 3-2, in the round of 16 of the men's singles at the French Open. This victory marked Djokovic's 370th career win at major tournaments (49 losses), surpassing the previous record held by Roger Federer.

In the round of 32, Djokovic endured a grueling four-hour, 29-minute match against Lorenzo Musetti, finishing just after 3 a.m. local time on Monday. He then returned to the court a little over 36 hours later for another full-set match lasting four hours and 39 minutes against Cerundolo. This is the first time Djokovic has played back-to-back full-set matches at a major tournament since the 2012 French Open.

During the second set of the match against Cerundolo, Djokovic called a medical timeout due to pain in his right knee and took painkillers before continuing. "There was a point where I didn't know if I should continue because of the pain," Djokovic said. "I had slight discomfort in the right knee for a couple of weeks, but it wasn't concerning until today. I've slipped and fallen on the clay many times. My style of play often involves a lot of sliding, and it affects the knee.”


Bo-Mi Im bom@donga.com