"What a nice game to play" - Novak Djokovic's French Open opponent Juan Pablo Varillas cherishing every moment

Juan Pablo Varillas is set to take on Novak Djokovic in the fourth round of the 2023 French Open. The Peruvian No. 1 booked a spot in the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career with a marathon five-set win over 13th seed Hubert Hurkacz on Friday.

New to the big stage, Varillas is cherishing every moment of his French Open journey. Speaking to La Republic after his stellar victory against Hurkacz, he expressed delight at the prospect of facing Novak Djokovic.

"How nice, what a nice experience. What a nice game to play," Juan Pablo Varillas said.

The Peruvian has played three five-set matches in front of big crowds for the first time in his career. Describing his time at the French Open as "magical," Varillas said he was proud of having given tennis fans back in Peru "a moment of happiness".

"Happy to win five sets again. It was a magical atmosphere, with so many people," Juan Pablo Varillas said. "The truth is that I really enjoyed it, I gave everything on the court and, in the end, I took the game."

"Happy to be here, in a fourth round," he continued. "It makes me very happy for my country, for all the people who are following me. It makes me proud to give them a moment of happiness."

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Juan Pablo Varillas ousts Hubert Hurkacz at French Open to set up Novak Djokovic showdown

Juan Pablo Varillas in action at the French Open.

Juan Pablo Varillas has made a bit of a habit of playing five sets at this year's French Open. The Peruvian, who had earlier taken out Roberto Bautista Agut and Shang Juncheng in titanic tussles, went the distance again against Hubert Hurkacz.

Dubbing it a "great match," the Peruvian expressed delight at being able to fend off the Pole's big serve and powerful groundstrokes.

"It's been a great match I think from the beginning until the end," Juan Pablo Varillas said. "It was really tough because he was playing so hard, serving so big, but I managed to make him play almost all the time. So, at the end, I think I played a really, really good fifth set, and two opportunities that I had to break, I took them."

That should hold Varillas in good stead against Novak Djokovic, who has a wealth of experience playing at this level. The two will take the court for their fourth-round encounter on Sunday.