Novak Djokovic achieved a historic milestone at Roland Garros on Monday, becoming only the second player to secure 100 career wins at the French Open after defeating Britain’s Cameron Norrie 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 in the fourth round, advancing to the quarterfinals for the 16th consecutive year.The 38-year-old Serbian joined Rafael Nadal, who holds 112 wins, in the exclusive club of players with century victories at Roland Garros. Djokovic’s career record at the French Open now stands at 100-16.“It’s a very pretty number, but 101 victories sounds better. I will continue to search for another victory, it’s clearly not finished for me here. I’m very honoured to make history in this sport, which has given me everything in my life,” Djokovic said after the match.The three-time French Open champion dominated the match on Court Philippe-Chatrier from the beginning. After trading early breaks in the first set, Djokovic won five of the next six games to take control.
Norrie attempted to play more aggressively in the second set, particularly after Djokovic made some unusual errors. However, the Serbian quickly regained his rhythm and maintained control of the match.The British player took a medical timeout for an ankle issue while trailing 3-4, which further shifted the momentum towards Djokovic.Quiz: Who’s that IPL player?The 24-time Grand Slam champion completed the victory in two hours and 14 minutes, becoming the oldest men’s singles quarterfinalist at Roland Garros since Istvan Gulyas in 1971.“I feel good. I always have high expectations,” Djokovic said. “In the end, it’s 12 sets played, 12 sets won, so it’s all positive and solid up until now.”Djokovic’s next challenge will be against third seed Alexander Zverev, the 2023 finalist, in the quarterfinals. The Serbian holds an 8-5 head-to-head advantage over Zverev, though their most recent encounter at the Australian Open semifinals ended with Djokovic retiring from the match.
