Djokovic beats his apprentice for 99th RG win

Novak Djokovic collected his 99th match win at the French Open on Saturday as he beat training partner Filip Misolic 6-3, 6-4, 6-2  in Saturday’s third-round showdown.

The match was being played simultaneously with the Champions League final in Munich between Paris St Germain and Inter Milan.

But due to a fan viewing party in the nearby home stadium of PSG – the Parc des Princes – thousands of extra police were deployed both inside the grounds of Roland Garros and in the surrounding neighborhood in the posh 16th arrondissement.

“A night session match is always different, you wait all day and there is a lot of anticipation and tension. 

“This evening finished much earlier than it could have. Waiting around to finally play is not easy.

“I had a lot of expectations concerning my game, I played solid in all three sets.” 

The opening set dragged on for more than three-quarters of an hour, with the pair of familiar foes needing 14 minutes to complete the first two games.

Djokovic secured the first break in the sixth game and claimed the set on his first opportunity to take charge.

The three-time tournament champion, who has trained often with the Austrian of Croat heritage, is bidding to set a record with a 25th Grand Slam singles title; the 38-year-old won his last at the 2023 US Open.

One break in the second set was enough to send Djokovic to a 2-0 set lead as the veteran strengthened his grip on the contest. 

Djokovic polished off the win as he  began the third set with a break, added to his margin and advanced with a winning reflex volley at the net after just over two hours.