“Roland-Garros is the hardest slam!” Djokovic dismantles Schwartzman to move into last eight
Novak Djokovic defeated Diego Schwartzman 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 on Sunday afternoon. He’ll play the winner of the next match between Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, the No 9 seed, and Spaniard Rafael Nadal, the No 5 seed, in the next round.
Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros 2022 (AI / Reuters / Panoramic)
Top-seeded Novak Djokovic beat Argentinian Diego Schwartzman, the No 15 seed, 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the last eight of Roland-Garros in Paris on Sunday. The two-hour and 15-minute win marked another decisive victory for Djokovic in his attempt to achieve a record-tying 21 Grand Slams.
Djokovic, who currently holds the world No 1 ranking, will face the winner of the match between Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, the No 9 seed, and Spaniard Rafael Nadal, the No 5 seed. The potential clash between Djokovic and Nadal would mark the 59th overall meeting of the two men, and the 10th meeting at Roland Garros. Currently, Nadal is 7-2 against Djokovic at Roland Garros, having last met the Serbian in the semifinals of Roland Garros 2021– a match he lost 3–6, 6–3, 7–6 (4), 6–2.
And Djokovic is under no illusions as to the magnitude of his task if he wants to add to his tally of titles in Paris.
“It took me years and years to win the title here,” he said in his press conference after the match. “Of course I had some big heartbreaks on the court here, many finals lost and semi-finals, thrilling marathon matches, mostly against Rafa prior to 2016.
“Of course it was very special, very emotional to clinch that title in ’16. It was a huge relief more than anything, really. So in the years to come, I was still continuing to play consistently well here. Then luckily got another title last year.
“Somehow winning a title here is always probably the hardest of any slam for me. Last year the second week that I had here was just probably the toughest four matches, toughest seven days I had to win any slam in my career. So, yes, it gives it a little bit more of a significance, so to say.”
Ahead of his victory over Schwartzman, the 35-year-old Serb defeated Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3, 6-1, 6-0, Slovakian Alex Molcan 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (4), and Slovenian Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-3, 6-2.
Schwartzman, currently ranked world No 16, beat Russian qualifier Andrey Kuznetsov 6-3, 1-6, 6-4, 6-2, Spaniard Jaume Munar 2-6, 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2, 6-2, and Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, the No 18 seed, (6-3, 6-1, 6-2) earlier in the tournament.
