​​Novak Djokovic lived dangerously in the match against the unpredictable Alejandro Davidovic Fokin, the Serb needed two tiebreaks (at 4 and 5) and a set won with a score of 6-2 to reach the round of 16 at Roland Garros. The game was spectacular, with plenty of drama, exciting shots, turns and with Nole once again able to get booed from the stands.

Novak Djokovic in Roland Garros round of 16: victory with a slight headache over Alejandro Davidovich Fokin

Set I

The orchestra, the beautiful weather, the Philippe Chatrier arena archipelago. Novak Djokovic (one of the best in history) and strong Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (seed number 29) are on the court.

The Iberian is part of a select gallery of players who can boast of having beaten Nole at least once in their career: it happened on the ground in Monte Carlo in 2022. At least on the level of confidence, the Spaniard can hold on to something tangible.

The fans are divided: Novak has fans all over the world, and there are enough of them in Paris, and there is a camp that wants the match to last longer, in the end those spectators are left behind the underdog.

Before the start of the match, “Vamos, Rafa!” is heard from the stands. It’s normal for fans of someone who has a statue in the Port d’Autais complex to be nostalgic for their idol.

On court, things are tough for the former ATP leader: Alejandro is stubborn, he is unpredictable, he has a big bag of shots and, most importantly, he has the confidence added by his success in Monte Carlo last year.

The first set was messy, with four breaks, and Fokina missed a chance to close out the set on her own serve at 5-4. “Fox” as we know him, Nole senses a moment of doubt in his opponent’s mind and takes the set to a tiebreak. The Serb has more clarity in the end, and the victory is for him: 7-4.

Set II

The second set is also not more clear: only six breaks (only in the women’s chain we can see something like that), and the leg (very spectacular) still gets into the tie-break roulette. However, it should be remembered that the Spaniard had a set point on Nole’s serve – 6-5.

The drama continues and they take turns leading (the Iberian makes a great comeback after leading 4-1). However, the stunning end of the set belongs to the player with clearly superior experience: Joker is a mountain of concentration, takes advantage of Alejandro’s mistakes and closes the set (7-5).

At the end, the Serb is visibly happy in two rows (on both sides of the field) and is selected by important boos from the stands. In addition, many fans repeat the gesture when the referee announces that Nole will receive a medical timeout in the locker room.

Set III

Under the influence of a minimal defeat in the first two sets, the Iberian loses his patience: he no longer waits for the right moment to attack, he often does it chaotically (big shots, sometimes the ball did not even touch the even line), and the Joker is happy with the gifts he received.

The marching band plays tunes that keep the happiness high, and the sun is already casting many shadows on the Chatriere. On the field, Nole has the confidence of the top row of the arena.

With the score 3-1 in his favor and 40-40, Nole gives his opponent a towel and pours water on him to wash himself: Alejandro fell trying to catch the ball sent by the Serb. This gesture is appreciated by the audience at Chatriere, and the Joker is rewarded with applause on the open stage.

The match of opposites continues for Novak: he hits the ball high after a lost point and again causes the stands to boo. The Serb gestures as if to say: “what do you have with me?”, and the fans are even more fired up.

Alejandro has reached a point where he doesn’t believe in comebacks anymore, and this can be very easily deciphered by his body language. He realizes that he lost the first two sets by only a few points, and his thoughts no longer allow him to reproduce the boiling tennis of a few dozen minutes ago.

After a match that lasted three hours and 36 minutes, Djokovic wins 7-6(4), 7-6(5), 6-2.

Know:

• In the 1/8 finals, Joker will meet the winner of the match between Juan Pablo Varillas (94 ATP) and Hubert Gurkach (13th favorite in Paris).

• Nole won the Roland Garros title in 2016 and 2021.

• After this success, Djokovic leads Fokin 3-1 in head-to-head matches.

• If he wins in Paris, the Serb will become the player with the most Grand Slam titles in the history of tennis (he is currently tied with Rafael Nadal at 22).