If Novak Djokovic’s win over Lorenzo Musetti was called a one-off occurrence by naysayers, then they will have a hard time digesting the fact that the world no.1 managed to pull off an even bigger feat tennis’ biggest stage in Paris. Djokovic, who was struggling with knee issues for major part of the match, scripted a near-impossible comeback against Francisco Cerundol to book a place in the French Open quarter-finals.

It was a match that had everything. Djokovic was on a roll for the first one hour before an abrupt knee injury caused his attention to dwindle. Despite the nagging issue, the Serbian star continued to fight and gave little to no room for Cerundolo to capitalise. In a tightly-fought 2nd set, it was Djokovic’s Argentinian rival who had the upper hand as he won it, 7-5.

Things got worse for the 24x Grand Slam champion in the third set as he looked down and out. With Cerundolo steadily growing confidence, any tennis fan would have crowned him the winner except when they see Novak on the other side of the net.

On the other hand, Djokovic was clearly struggling. He had taken a couple of medical time-outs and it looked as if the GOAt was finally showing signs of wear and tear. But, it would be unwise of us to assume that Djokovic would give up. In the next few hours, Dj0kovic pulled off a miraculous comeback to reach the last eight.

So, how did the sporting world react to this win. Let’s see. Before that, Djokovic received a special message from Hollywood royalty as good friend Matthew McConaughey sends powerful message celebrating the “GOAT”.

Soon, Djokovic receives praise from all corners as Tunisian WTA star Ons Jabeur finds a perfect way to describe the Serbian’s attitude.

“Never underestimate the heart of a champion”, Jabeur shares on X (formerly Twitter).

It doesn’t stop there for Novak as renowned tennis coach Brad Gilbert, who is with Coco Gauff currently at the French Open, pays tribute in his own quirky way to the 24-time major champion.

With social media getting flooded with adulatory message for Novak Djokovic, legendary tennis player Patrick McEnroe catches fans’ attention with a rather peculiar tweet.

McEnroe was referring to an insane shot that the Serbian legend pulled off. At a crucial point in the fifth set, Djokovic goes into super-human mode to hit an incredible volley that was impossible for his opponent to reach. It was clearly the shot of the day, as rightfully declared by the French Open themselves.

All in all, Novak Djokovic turns successful in uniting the sporting world with his sheer love for the game. While he didn’t remain a top contender before the start of the French Open, with these two wins, it will be a surprise to see if the Serbian star doesn’t win the title on Sunday, June 9.