Novak Djokovic will next meet Alex de Minaur after the Australian beat Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-4 earlier on Thursday at Monte Carlo; watch over 80 tournaments a year, including the US Open, exclusively live on Sky Sports Tennis
Thursday 11 April 2024 17:19, UK
Novak Djokovic got his revenge over Lorenzo Musetti after beating him 7-5 6-3 at the Monte-Carlo Masters to reach the quarter-finals.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion lost to Musetti last year at the same tournament when he suffered a shock third-round defeat to the Italian.
Nerves returned after Musetti led by a break in the first set and brought out a variety of shots including a stunning drop shot that saw him lead 4-2, but Djokovic managed to find his rhythm and capitalised on the Italian's mistakes.
A turning point came in the eighth game when Djokovic broke after Musetti blew a 40-0 lead. The Serb broke again in the 12th game after Musetti hit a double-fault to drop the set.
Both players struggled to hold their serves in the second set but Djokovic came out on top in the decisive points to reach the last eight after one hour and 59 minutes.
Djokovic orchestrated the boos of the Monaco crowd with a smile before breaking serve as Musetti pulled a game back, but lost two crucial ones as the Serb took the first set.
Djokovic took a two-game lead in the second and, just as he looked to race to the finish line, Musetti caught up to reach 4-3 - but he was ultimately out-played in the latter half of the game as the world No 1 claimed a solid victory.
Djokovic will next meet Alex de Minaur after the Australian beat Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-4 earlier on Thursday at Monte Carlo.
The 36-year-old, who will celebrate his birthday next month, is competing in his first event since splitting with his former coach Goran Ivanisevic.
Djokovic was victorious in the French Riviera in 2013 and 2015 but the world No. 1 is still searching for his first trophy of the season after reaching the semi-finals at the Australian Open. He is using the clay-court tournament to fine-tune his preparations for the French Open next month.
"The little exchange with the crowd was the turning point. Ever since then, I started to gain momentum, I think he dropped his level and focus a little bit," Djokovic said.
"Things can turn around very quickly. We saw a little bit of a rollercoaster in the second set and I'm just glad staying tough and aggressive in the right moments paid off.
"I don't think I'm still at my top level. But it was a great test today against an amazing player, a very talented player particularly on clay.
"I'm really glad to overcome the challenge and look forward to the next one."
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