At 37 years old, you are on borrowed time in tennis.
Novak Djokovic, the most accomplished player in the history of the sport, should understand this as well as anyone.
It’s the age when Roger Federer’s body began to break down and the previously routine wins became that much more difficult to lock down.
It’s the age when Rafael Nadal had to contemplate whether to retire or make one last comeback to give the sport a dignified goodbye.
And it’s an age when most of the greats before them had long since retired, yielding to the reality that their experience and talent with a tennis racket can no longer overcome younger legs.
Djokovic stands alone in the history of his sport with 24 Grand Slam titles and most of the significant records worth having. Everything that happens from here is a bonus, just another layer of icing on a cake that has been baked, frosted, decorated and studded with candles.
What we’ve seen in 2024 is Djokovic in the twilight, a player who has admitted to having motivation problems, playing more infrequently, firing members of his coaching team that have been around for years and losing often to players that most people have not heard of.
And yet, here we are: Djokovic, once again, in the quarterfinals of the French Open.
It hasn’t been easy.
He looked down and out, almost ready to give in against Lorenzo Musetti as Saturday night turned to Sunday morning. But Djokovic somehow found two sets of breathtaking tennis, putting Musetti away after 4 hours, 29 minutes.
Fewer than 48 hours later, there he was on Monday afternoon once again trailing Francisco Cerundolo two sets to one — and this time dealing with a knee problem that at times seemed to limit his movement. But once again, Djokovic summoned his best when necessary to survive 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 after 4 hours, 39 minutes.
In this case, borrowed time isn’t just a descriptor of his career. We’re seeing it unfold in this tournament, where we have to ask ourselves whether Djokovic’s legendary powers of endurance and mental strength can keep on getting him through to a 25th Grand Slam.
Logic would suggest it’s unlikely. More than nine hours on the court at this stage of the tournament is not helpful — especially when he’s got tougher opponents ahead starting with two-time French finalist Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals.
Even if he were 10 years younger, we’d be asking how much more Djokovic has in the tank. At 37, it seems impossible he can get to the finish line.
And yet, it’s Djokovic, a man who seems to not just be able to borrow time but flat-out steal it.
The drama Djokovic has produced the last few days sets up the final week of the French Open to be maybe the most interesting Grand Slam tournament we’ve seen in years on the men’s side.
Here are four storylines to watch in the final week at Roland Garros:
Star-studded matchups galore
Before the tournament began, there was a lot of discussion about the men’s draw being wide open because of health and form question marks surrounding the favorites. And while it’s still anyone’s tournament, it’s for a different reason: The top four seeds did what they were supposed to do.
The end result is four blockbuster quarterfinals:
Djokovic vs. Ruud
Alexander Zverev vs. Alex de Minaur
Carlos Alcaraz vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas
Jannik Sinner vs. Grigor Dimitrov
Ruud, Zverev and Tsitsipas are the three most accomplished players on the ATP Tour who have never won a Grand Slam title. Alcaraz and Sinner, both Slam champions, have already played some epic matches in their young rivalry and could face off in the semifinals. Dimitrov, who has not quite lived up to the mammoth expectations put on him as a youngster, is having a late career resurgence at age 33.
Though Djokovic is still here, this is probably what the post-Big Three era of men’s tennis is going to look like: A lot of interesting possibilities in the later rounds of the biggest tournaments.
Iga Swiatek’s bakery is open
After a second round scare against Naomi Osaka, No. 1 Iga Swiatek is starting to look like a heavy favorite for her fourth French Open title while dishing out bagels and breadsticks on the score line. In beating Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0 in the fourth round, Swiatek lost just 10 total points, which is almost unheard of in a professional tennis match.
Swiatek enters the quarterfinals against former Roland Garros finalist Marketa Vondrousova with an 18-1 record this year on clay, having lost only to Elena Rybakina on a fast indoor court in Stuttgart.
Had Osaka been able to hold serve one more time to finish off Swiatek, the entire complexion of the tournament would look different right now. But it’s pretty common for top players to survive a close call early in a Grand Slam and then roll the rest of the way. At this point, it’s hard to see anyone beaating her.
Coco Gauff check-in
Though she’s been a bit under the radar because of how friendly her draw has been so far, Gauff is playing some solid tennis at Roland Garros, where she made the final in 2022. Gauff’s serve under pressure is still a little bit of a question mark — she’s been prone to double faults this year after some technical changes in her motion — but she’s hitting her forehand well and has rolled through her first four opponents without much drama.
Things will get a lot more interesting in the quarterfinals Tuesday against Ons Jabeur, who has had a terrible year by her standards but seems to be finding some form at Roland Garros. And if Gauff can get by that one, it will be another huge challenge against Swiatek, who has beaten her in 10 of 11 meetings.
3 A.M. FINISHES? Coco Gauff says late finishes for tennis matches are ‘not healthy’ for players
Alexander Zverev in court
As he gets closer to a potential title, more attention will and should be given to the fact that a trial is happening right now in Germany related to allegations that Zverev abused his ex-girlfriend and the mother of his child in 2020.
Last October, a court fined Zverev 450,000 Euros via a penalty order related to the charges. In the German legal system, penalty orders are used to resolve some criminal cases if prosecutors believe the evidence is strong enough that a trial not necessary. But Zverev has contested that penalty and taken it to trial, which is his right in the German system.
Zverev is not required to attend the hearing at this stage, allowing him to play the tournament.
Brenda Patea is the second former partner of Zverev to allege domestic abuse, which he has denied in both instances.
The ATP said last year it found insufficient evidence to sanction Zverev following an investigation. Still, Zverev’s presence as one of the favorites in major tournaments has been an uncomfortable topic for the sport writ large ever since Olya Sharypova publicly accused him in 2020.
Zverev won the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo in 2021 but has fallen short in the majors, notably losing the 2020 US Open final to Dominic Thiem after holding a two sets to none lead. He is playing arguably the best tennis of his career right now having recently won the Italian Open.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: French Open 2024: Novak Djokovic provides drama at Roland Garros
