Novak Djokovic Battles Through Injury, Keeps Title Hopes Alive
Djokovic Reveals He Was Close to Quitting Against Cerundolo
Sinner Advances to Last Eight at French Open
Novak Djokovic conjured up more magic at Roland Garros on Monday to keep alive his hopes of remaining as World No. 1. The Serbian looked down and out against Francisco Cerundolo, with the Argentine pushing him to the brink in a five-set thriller.
Djokovic, who turns 36 this year, has been struggling with a knee injury in recent months. Cerundolo's aggressive play seemed to aggravate the problem, and at one point, Djokovic appeared close to quitting.
"I didn't want to retire from a Grand Slam, but I considered it," Djokovic said after the match. "I've been through a lot with this knee, and it's giving me a lot of problems."
Despite the pain, Djokovic fought through and eventually prevailed 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (4), 6-2. The victory sets up a quarterfinal clash with 11th seed Jannik Sinner, who advanced to the last eight with a four-set win over Corentin Moutet.
Sinner, 20, is one of the rising stars of tennis and is seen as a potential future Grand Slam champion. Djokovic knows he will be in for a tough match against the young Italian.
"He's a great player," Djokovic said. "He's very talented and he's improving all the time. I'm going to have to play my best to beat him."
The Djokovic-Sinner quarterfinal is scheduled for Wednesday.
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