French Open: John McEnroe 'mesmerised' by ageless Novak Djokovic after latest Roland-Garros heroics

Eurosport expert John McEnroe was left in awe of Novak Djokovic after the Serbian recovered from two sets to one down with a knee injury to beat Francisco Cerundolo and reach the French Open quarter-finals. It was the second match in a row Djokovic was forced to dig deep and come back from the brink of defeat as he won back-to-back five-setters for the first time in 12 years.

'It's amazing he can still pull this off' - McEnroe reacts to Djokovic's victory

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John McEnroe admitted he was “mesmerised” by Novak Djokovic after the Serbian once again came back from two sets to one down to keep his hopes of a fourth French Open title alive.

After winning a five-set epic against Lorenzo Musetti at 3:07am on Sunday morning, Djokovic was back on Court Philippe-Chatrier just 36 hours later and repeated the feat in a marathon encounter with Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo.

It was made all the more impressive given he spent the majority of the match nursing a knee injury he suffered early in the second set.

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However, just as he has done so many times throughout his career, he defied the odds to recover from 4-2 down in the fourth to clinch the final two sets and move into the quarter-finals at Roland-Garros for an 18th time.

“I can’t recall seeing anything like it, honestly,” McEnroe said on commentary for Eurosport. “At his age, any age, to continue doing what he does at this level and find a way.”

McEnroe later added: “I’ve been involved in tennis for 50 years, I played 15 years on the tour, I’ve been doing this, commentating, for the last 30 years and I still am mesmerised and amazed that this guy can pull this off at this point.

“We were talking earlier in the match about how the last time he’d won back-to-back five-set matches was 12 years ago - he was 25 years old.

“He won two matches in Australia, he beat [Rafael] Nadal and [Andy] Murray in two epic five-setters and yet at 37, how does this guy still find a way to pull these matches out?

“He played to 3am in the morning and then recovers and gets down two sets to one and 4-2, somehow wins that, gets up 2-0 in the fifth, blows that, and still wins. It’s truly amazing.”

Henman says Djokovic's 'fortitude' is just incredible

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Tim Henman was equally impressed by Djokovic’s latest act of escapology. The world No. 1 cut a frustrated figure for large periods of the four hours and 39 minutes spent on court, but when it was time to knuckle down and drag himself out of the trenches, he found another gear to produce his best tennis.

“It is absolutely unbelievable,” Henman said. “It is amazing to watch his level of tennis and this ability to deal with the adversity and then come up with his very best shots at the most important moments.

“Part of me stands here and I’m almost in shock but then this is what he does so why am I surprised? I’ve seen it so many times.

“It was his 51st five-set match and he finds a way to get the job done and that, to me, is why he’s one of the greats of all time.

Novak Djokovic v Francisco Cerundolo - Roland-Garros highlights

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“It’s another incredible performance, on the back of an absolute epic in the round before.

“He’s 37 years of age and then you’ve got to add in that he’s got the physio [on court]. He’s not quite on one leg but there’s an injury issue with his knee and he’s struggling and that’s affecting him mentally.

“Looking from the outside it’s easy for the belief to start to disappear when he’s two sets to one down, he’s a break down and his leg’s not good, but in his own mind I just don’t believe he ever thinks he’s beaten.”

Having spent more than nine hours on court in his previous two matches and given he may now be carrying a niggling injury, attention quickly turned to how he will recover for his last-eight clash with Casper Ruud.

Henman calls amazing recovery 'the biggest challenge' of Djokovic's career

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For most mere mortals it would undoubtedly be a mountain too great to climb, but Henman believes it is set up for Djokovic to make this one of his greatest triumphs.

“I would say with every other player certainly over the age of 30, I would say no, I don’t think they can, but this is Novak Djokovic,” Henman continued. “He’s not normal.

“This will challenge him, he’s going to need to be doing all sorts - the ice baths, the massages, the stretching and everything in his power to recharge - but I feel like this is the perfect environment for him.

“We’ve seen in Australia he had a little injury and there was a lot of talk whether it was the stomach or the hamstring, now it’s the knee at Roland-Garros. I think these scenarios are perfect for him to have perhaps the greatest challenge of his career.”

You can watch every day of the 2024 French Open live and on-demand on discovery+

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