Novak Djokovic’s bid for a 25th Grand Slam briefly hung by a thread on a cold and damp Saturday (June 1) night at Roland Garros but the Serbian battled back for a 7-5 6-7(6) 2-6 6-3 6-0 win over Lorenzo Musetti in the latest ever French Open finish.

The reigning champion showcased the iron will that has made him one of the game’s greatest players to avoid defeat in a thrilling third-round contest that got underway at 10.37 p.m. local time on Saturday.

Some 4-1/2 hours later at 3.06 a.m. on Sunday morning, the fans who had huddled up under rugs as world number one orchestrated his superb fightback rose to their feet to lift the roof of the main showcourt.

After losing the first set, 30th seed Musetti took his game up a few notches to edge a high-quality second set tiebreak before surging ahead in the third set with two serve breaks as alarm bells began to ring for a fading.

The 37-year-old Djokovic, who ranted about the state of the surface to the umpire, suddenly rediscovered his rhythm to wrap up the fourth before pulling away from his exhausted opponent in the decider.

(REUTERS)