Can Norrie halt history-chasing Djokovic?

4 Minutes Read Listen to Article
Share:

June 01, 2025 20:06 IST

x

'Every time I step onto this court I'm playing for history.'

Novak Djokovic

IMAGE: Serbia's Novak Djokovic is only one win away from equalling Rafael Nadal's record of 100 wins at the French Open. Photograph: Lisi Niesner/Reuters

Fourth round action continues at the French Open on Monday with top seeds Jannik Sinner and Coco Gauff in action while Novak Djokovic chases a milestone 100th win at Roland Garros.

British hopes rest on Cameron Norrie and fifth seed Jack Draper, who is up against the entertaining Alexander Bublik in the night session.

 

Djokovic came into the French Open having won his 100th career title at the Geneva Open and in the fourth round he can achieve something only 14-times champion Rafael Nadal has accomplished -- 100 wins on the red clay at Roland Garros.

Djokovic's third round victory over Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic was his 99th, equalling his own mark at the Australian Open where he has won the title 10 times. He also has 97 wins at Wimbledon and 90 at the US Open.

"I'm just hoping to carry on. Every time I step onto this court I'm playing for history," Djokovic said.

But if the sixth seed is to surpass Nadal's jaw-dropping record of 112 wins at the French Open, Djokovic will find himself playing into his 40s.

Standing in Djokovic's way is Briton Cameron Norrie, who downed Daniil Medvedev in the first round and has reached the last-16 for the first time in his career.

"That match with Daniil was so tough, it was such a big test for me. To get through that, I thought I can take a lot of confidence from that," Norrie said.

"To make the second week for the first time is so, so good and at a time where I was not really stringing a lot of matches and a lot of wins together."

But he has work to do with Djokovic yet to drop a set while the Briton has lost all five matches he has played against the former world number one, including the semi-final in Geneva last month.

The pair played out a tense encounter in Rome in 2023 where Djokovic criticised Norrie's attitude. Norrie hit an overhead smash at Djokovic's leg when the Serbian had turned his back on the net having given up on a point.

TOP WOMEN'S MATCH: MIRRA ANDREEVA V DARIA KASATKINA

Andreeva has yet to drop a set at Roland Garros this year and the Russian sixth seed showed she means business when she packed off Yulia Putintseva by winning nine of the last 10 games in their third-round encounter.

But Russian-born Kasatkina, who now represents Australia, is high on confidence after knocking out 10th seed Paula Badosa in straight sets.

Andreeva and Kasatkina practice together and the Russian 18-year-old said: "It's going to be an entertaining match, for sure, because I think we both know each other very well. I think it's going to be fun and also maybe pretty tight."

Andreeva is looking to better her semi-final run at Roland Garros last year while Kasatkina beat her in the only match they have played, a roller-coaster three-setter in Ningbo last year.

"Mirra, she's a very nice girl and an amazing player. We've been quite good with each other. I can even say that I think we are kind of friends," Kasatkina said.

"The last one in Ningbo was a big drama match. Let's see what's going to happen here. We never met on clay before."

FRENCH OPEN ORDER OF PLAY ON MONDAY (prefix number denotes seeding)

COURT PHILIPPE-CHATRIER (play begins at 0900 GMT, 1430 IST)

20-Ekaterina Alexandrova (Russia) v 2-Coco Gauff (US)

Lois Boisson (France) v 3-Jessica Pegula (US)

Cameron Norrie (Britain) v 6-Novak Djokovic (Serbia)

1-Jannik Sinner (Italy) v 17-Andrey Rublev (Russia)

COURT SUZANNE-LENGLEN (play begins at 0900 GMT, 1430 IST)

6-Mirra Andreeva (Russia) v 17-Daria Kasatkina (Australia)

3-Alexander Zverev (Germany) v Tallon Griekspoor (Netherlands)

7-Madison Keys (US) v Hailey Baptiste (US)

Alexander Bublik (Kazakhstan) v 5-Jack Draper (Britain)

Get Rediff News in your Inbox:
Share: