The idea of Novak Djokovic outdoing Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros, where the absent Spaniard has been crowned champion on 14 occasions, may seem ridiculous. Yet Djokovic can now lay claim to a scintilla of superiority: after defeating Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, he is through to the quarter-finals in Paris for a 17th time, one more than his great rival.
Of course, for a player of Djokovic’s stature, a record like that is little more than a statistical footnote. The Serb is infinitely more interested in edging ahead of Nadal in the hard currency of grand slam trophies, a feat he would achieve were he to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires for a third time next weekend.
Even so, to eclipse Nadal in any respect at an event where he has been so dominant that a statue has been erected in the grounds in his honour, one must clearly be doing something right. Djokovic’s little slice of Roland Garros history is a reminder that he has been comfortably the world’s second best clay-court player for almost two decades, quite an achievement in itself when you consider it is the surface on which he is least comfortable.
“I’m proud of it, but my attention is already on the next match,” said Djokovic, who will face Karen Khachanov, the Russian 11th seed, for a place in the last eight.
“Obviously, quarter-finals, Khachanov, I know what my goal is here. I’m trying to stay the course mentally and not look too far. The performance of today gives me a great deal of confidence about how I felt, about how I played.”
With the possibility of a blockbuster semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz moving ever closer, such confidence will be needful. Alcaraz dispatched Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, the 17th seed and a man almost as flamboyant of shot as the Spanish world No 1 himself, in straight sets, matching Djokovic’s 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 score-line to accentuate the sense that the pair are destined to collide. Alcaraz won their only previous encounter, a tight three-setter at last year’s Madrid Open, but they have yet to meet over five sets at a major.
“I think this was my best match in the tournament so far,” said Alcaraz, who will face former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, against whom he is unbeaten in four meetings, in the quarter-finals. “I think I played a good level.”
Musetti had hoped to dictate with his forehand, focusing his attack on Alcaraz’s backhand side to carve out space before delivering the coup de grâce to the opposite corner. A similar strategy served the 21-year-old well last summer in Hamburg, where he consigned Alcaraz to his first defeat in a final. But Musetti, not helped by a second-serve win percentage that languished at 33% in the first set and 38% in the second, was never allowed to play the match on his own terms. For all the sumptuous shot-making displayed by both men, Alcaraz was the more solid player at the key moments.
“He is probably the best player in the world, and at the moment it’s really tough to beat him, especially on clay,” said Musetti. “I think he grew a lot since the last meeting we had in Hamburg.
“I think today he showed that he probably can win this tournament.”
Djokovic is all too aware of the challenge that lies ahead.
“You always follow the top guys in your half, how they’re playing,” said the Serb. “Of course you’re looking, you’re analysing everyone’s game. You’re basically following what’s going on in the draw.
“But most of the attention is obviously focused on you, on what you need to deliver on the court, how you need to perform, how you need to win the next match. It’s only about the next step. But of course I do keep in mind what the others are doing.”
Djokovic’s vigilance extends to Nadal, who will be side-lined for a further five months after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on the hip injury that has kept him out of action since the Australian Open.
“I really hope that his rehabilitation process can go well and that we can see him next season,” said Djokovic.
“I think that he’s so important for our game on and off the court, one of the greatest legends of tennis in the history of the game. We want to see a healthy Rafa, no question about it, playing for what he has announced [will be] his last season.
“Hopefully he’s going to be able to do that.”
In the women’s singles, Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina’s fairytale run continued as she defeated Daria Kasatkina, the Russian ninth seed, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5). Svitolina, who is married to the French player Gaël Monfils and gave birth to the couple’s first child eight months ago, will face Aryna Sabalenka, the second seed, in the quarter-finals.
“I have played [my] last two matches against Russian players so it will not change, everything will be same,” said Svitolina of the prospect of facing the Belarusian.
Sabalenka, meanwhile, who came through a testing match against former finalist Sloane Stephens on Sunday night, declined the opportunity to hold an open press conference for the second match in a row. The Australian Open champion said after her third-round win over Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova that she did not “feel safe” addressing the press after she was twice challenged by a Ukrainian reporter over the Putin regime’s invasion of the country, which is supported by Belarus.
“She’s playing really great tennis here in Paris, moving well,” Sabalenka said of Svitolina following her 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 victory.
“[She’s] another player who is going to run a lot and put a lot of balls back, and I just have to be patient and wait for that perfect shot to finish the point.”