Novak Djokovic breaks Rafael Nadal record with latest win over Gael Monfils

Shahida Jacobs 18 Aug 2023 8:29 AM

Novak Djokovic relishes the challenge at the US Open

Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils met for the 19th time in top-level tennis during their third-round clash at the Cincinnati Open and, like the previous 18 matches, Djokovic emerged victorious.

Djokovic’s 19th victory over Monfils means he now holds the record for the most lopsided ATP head-to-head streak in the Open Era, surpassing Rafael Nadal’s 18-0 against Richard Gasquet.

“It was kind of an evolution of both players over the past 15-plus years that we’ve been playing each other in different parts of the world, also in juniors,” Djokovic said after his 6-3, 6-2 victory.

“I think early on I struggled a lot with him, I think physically as well. When you play on of the most athletic guys on the Tour, you have to be ready, every ball comes back. A couple of points today, especially in the first set he showed his athleticism.”

Djokovic dropped only four points on serve in the opening set as he broke the Frenchman – who only recently returned to action after an injury-ravaged 2022 campaign – to love in game eight.

It was one-way traffic in the second set as Djokovic raced into a 5-0 lead with breaks in games one, three and five. Monfils then had some joy with a break in game six and a hold in game seven, but the second seed broke again to secure win No 19.

“I just managed to hold my serve really comfortably. I think I was hitting the spots well, and just made him play,” Djokovic said. “He made a few unforced errors at 4-3 in the first set to hand me the break.

“After that it was no looking back for me. I started to raise the level more and more, almost a flawless second set. I guess his game suits me. It’s nice to see him back. We haven’t played for quite a few years. It’s great to see him back playing at a high level.”

The 23-time Grand Slam winner, playing in the United States for the first time since the 2021 US Open, will face ninth seed Taylor Fritz in the quarter-final after the American advanced when Dusan Lajovic – who had taken out Jannik Sinner in round two – retired with the ninth seed leading 5-0.

The winner of the Djokovic-Fritz clash will face either Alexander Zverev or Adrian Mannarino in the semi-final.

Djokovic remains in the hunt to reclaim the No 1 ranking from Carlos Alcaraz, but he needs the Spaniard to lose before the final.