In the final stretch of his strangest clay-court season, which has included a period when he could barely win a match, Novak Djokovic continues to rebuild his confidence at precisely the right time. He brushed aside a resurgent Cameron Norrie with a controlled, efficient performance to return to the French Open quarter-finals.
As is usually the case when he enters a grand slam tournament these days, Djokovic’s performance here has shattered more records. In what will be his 19th quarter-final at Roland Garros, that is the most a male player has reached at a major, surpassing Roger Federer, who reached 18 at Wimbledon. He has now secured 100 singles wins at the French Open, the second man to do so after Rafael Nadal’s 112. At 38, the world No 6 is the oldest French Open quarter‑finalist in 55 years.
