Djokovic’s match was postponed due to persistent rain (Getty Images)
Novak Djokovic reached the fourth round at Roland Garros after suffering the slowest defeat in French Open history against Lorenzo Musetti.
The world number one and defending champion’s match was postponed until the early hours of the morning because of such incessant rain that the tournament was dubbed the “Drench Open.”
Djokovic finally emerged victorious at 3:08 a.m. in a hard-fought five-set victory.
Heavy rain fell again on the outdoor courts in Paris, and tournament officials decided to force the unfinished match under the roof of Court Philippe Chatrier before Djokovic took on Musetti in the evening session.
The decision came early in the match between Alexander Zverev and Tallon Griekspoor, which turned into a five-set, four-hour and 13-minute marathon that the German won.
That meant the match between Grigor Dimitrov and Belgium’s Zizou Bergs resumed at 7:45 p.m. local time, with the Bulgarian 10th seed winning 6-3, 2-1.
By the time Dimitrov wrapped up his four-set victory (just under four hours in total), Djokovic finally took to the court at 10:40 p.m., with the match scheduled to start at 8:15 p.m.
The 37-year-old Djokovic dominated the first set but fell behind 2-1 before fighting his way back to tie the score.
In the final set, the Serbian player was unfortunately called for a time violation by umpire Adel Nour and lost his first serve.
“Please have some understanding. It’s 4 a.m.” he pleaded.
In reality, it was still 3am, but he had a point: playing at that time would be a time violation in itself.
And yet, at the ominous hour of 3:08 a.m., Djokovic finally triumphed 7-5, 6-7 (6), 2-6, 6-4, 6-0.
“Congratulations to Lorenzo. It’s disappointing that he lost,” the 24-time Grand Slam champion said.
“He played a great game and came very close to winning.
“It’s very hard to sleep with the adrenaline going, but I’ll try.”
Djokovic will face Argentina’s Francisco Cernudolo, the 23rd seed, in the fourth round.
