Novak Djokovic is out of the French Open, having delighted in proving the tennis world wrong by reaching the semi-finals.
Heading into this event, there were few that really fancied his chances of going to the latter stages, given his form not just on clay, but across the entire year.
First-round exits had become more commonplace than we were ever used to, and were it not for his Geneva Open title, the Serbian would have been returning to Paris without a single win on the dirt.
However, winning a 250-level event did not revolutionise how many rated his chances, especially when he was drawn on the side of the draw with both Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner.
Well, he departs the tournament having knocked the former out and pushed the latter harder than anyone else at the French Open has this year, and for that he deserves credit.
Novak Djokovic provides injury update after French Open
What makes Novak Djokovic’s achievements even more admirable is that, since losing to Sinner, he has revealed the extent of the injury he has been dealing with throughout the event.
Calling the physio mid-way through his match with the world number one, he showed no outstanding signs of deterioration, which is a further testament to the 38-year-old’s everlasting physicality.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, he did reveal: ‘I mean, it was bothering me a little bit throughout this tournament, you know, in some long matches.
‘It’s just… It’s a muscular issue that needs to be looked at and was worked on, but I guess the deeper you go to tournaments, the more physically exhausting matches you have, the more you’re going to, I guess worsen the problem in a sense, but it wasn’t, you know, it wasn’t giving me too much of a trouble.
‘So I wouldn’t say it was a hindrance to my game. You know, I still could move almost 100%, so it was okay. It was I wouldn’t I wouldn’t give it too much attention, to be honest.’
And yet, despite such a strong showing, Andre Agassi has predicted if Djokovic will soon retire after what he did before leaving Philippe Chatrier.
Novak Djokovic continues to prove why he’s one of the best
The fact that Djokovic nursed an injury throughout such an impressive run only adds to the impressive nature of his performances during the French Open.
After all, at 38 years old, he would be forgiven for resting at the slightest sign of any discomfort in an effort to prolong his already glittering career.
However, he is well aware of the issues that come with continuing to compete at his age with those that are almost half it, and yet still persists.
And not only does he persist, but he actually challenges, beating the world number three in the quarter-finals, up to which point he had yet to lose a set.
Sinner proved a step too far, but the 23-year-old does for 99% of the tour.
If fully fit and totally focused on the task at hand, Djokovic still remains a genuine threat in each tournament he enters.
