A sun-kissed but breezy Parisian afternoon Novak Djokovic Broke one of Rafael Nadal French Open A record for reaching the quarterfinals at Roland Garros.
A straight-sets 6-3 6-2 6-2 win over Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas on Sunday ensured Djokovic reached the last eight at the French Open for a record 17th time over 16-seeded absentee Rafael Nadal.
The win moved the Serb closer to a men’s record 23rd career Grand Slam. Djokovic is currently level with Nadal, who announced on Saturday that he will be out for at least five months after undergoing hip surgery at the 22nd Grand Slam.
Varillas is ranked 94th in the world but became the first Peruvian in 29 years to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam at Roland Garros.
She was no match for world No. 3 Djokovic, but who next plays Russian Karen Khachanov, the 11th seed. It was a controversial week for the Serb who made headlines before the tournament after sending a political message about Kosovo, which he later said he stood by.
After his first round win on Monday, Djokovic wrote “Kosovo is the [heart symbol] of Serbia Stop the violence in the lens of a TV camera in response to the violent conflict in Kosovo. Excited In Kosovo last week increased, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008.
“Obviously, I’m aware that a lot of people will disagree, but it is what it is,” Djokovic said Wednesday after his second-round win over Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics. “This is something I stand by. So that’s it.”
“A drama-free Grand Slam, I don’t think it could be for me,” he added on Wednesday. “You know, I guess that drives me too.”
