Novak Djokovic wins record 370th Grand Slam match at French Open - ESPN

PARIS — Novak Djokovic was bothered by his right knee, then found himself down a set and a break, before doing what he does so well, coming back to beat No. 23 Francisco Cerundolo 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the French Open's fourth round on Monday for his record 370th win in a Grand Slam match.

«I was,» Djokovic said, «maybe three or four points away from losing this match.»

Djokovic, the defending champion at Roland Garros, broke a tie with Roger Federer for the most match wins at major tournaments — and also for the most Slam quarterfinals for a man by reaching the 59th of his career.

And the No. 1-ranked Djokovic did it in ways that have become familiar through his years of dominance and 24 major trophies, both turning around a contest after trailing and emerging when the tension is greatest.

This victory across more than 4½ hours means that Djokovic is now 40-11 in fifth sets over his career.

For Djokovic, it was the second consecutive match that lasted more than 4 hours. In the third round, he also fell behind in sets 2-1 but made his way past No. 30 Lorenzo Musetti, 22, from Italy, finishing Sunday after 3 a.m. — the latest finish in French Open history.

«How did I find the way to win again? I don't know,» Djokovic told the crowd following the match. «The only explanation I have is you. Thank you.»

Against Cerundolo, 25, from Argentina, who was trying to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, Djokovic, 37, again used all of his skills, experience and ability to adjust on the fly. He came through, in part, by playing more aggressively and putting extra speed on his groundstrokes, while dealing with whatever was going on with his knee.

Djokovic trailed 4-2 in the fourth set but surged from there.

At 2-1 in the