"Who plays at 2am?" - Novak Djokovic on "muggy, heavy, very cold" conditions impacting his play against Lorenzo Musetti at French Open

Novak Djokovic talked about the late-night conclusion of his third round match against Lorenzo Musetti at the 2024 French Open. The Serb revealed that he had to endure tough weather conditions in order to outlast Musetti .

Seeded first, Djokovic kicked off his title defense with wins over wild card Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Roberto Carballes Baena in the first and second rounds, respectively.

Most recently, the Serb staged an impressive comeback against Lorenzo Musetti, winning 7-5, 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0. The match lasted a grueling four hours and 29 minutes and ended after 3:00 am, breaking the tournament's previous record for the latest finish which was 1:25 a.m..

Reflecting on the late-night match, Novak Djokovic talked about the challenges of playing such lengthy battles, especially in the wee hours of the morning . He also commended Lorenzo Musetti for his tenacity and competitive spirit, stating that the Italian had made a difficult opponent to face who pushed him to his limits

"I mean, yeah. When you’re playing a 20+ rally at 2am… Who plays at 2am? You play a few matches in your life at this time. Especially if someone like Lorenzo is playing on the opposite side of the net, the tennis of his life and not missing much and making you play every point," he said during the post-match press conference [2:05].

The World No.1 also commented on the tough weather conditions, describing it as "muggy" and "very cold" which added another layer of difficulty to the match. He also said that these difficult conditions pushed him to fight for every point and ultimately the win.

"It was so muggy and so heavy conditions, very cold, the balls were not going anywhere. You weren’t getting too many free points off the serve, so you had to work every single point of the night tonight, and that’s why I really physically pushed myself to the limit tonight," he added [at 2:27].

Novak Djokovic: "The crowd definitely got me going, I really needed that push"

Novak Djokovic at the 2024 French Open

At the aforementioned press conference, Novak Djokovic credited the unwavering support of the spectators at Philippe-Chatrier for helping him rally back after being two sets down. He expressed gratitude for the energy and motivation he received when the crowd began chanting his name which ultimately pushed him to win the match.

"The crowd definitely got me going. I really needed that push, I needed that energy at two-all in the fourth. They started chanting my name, and I just felt a great new wave of willpower and energy. I think I was a different player from that moment onwards," he said [at 0:47].

The Serb also extended his thanks to the crowd for staying until the end of the match.

"I want to thank all of you and of course the crowd and everybody that stayed until 3:30am. I heard it was the latest finish of Roland-Garros in history, so I’m glad to be part of the history with Lorenzo [Musetti]," he added.

Looking ahead, Novak Djokovic will face 23rd seed Francisco Cerundolo in the fourth round of the 2024 French Open. It will be the first encounter between the two.