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“Pity for Roland Garros 2021”: Novak Djokovic Surprised With Roger Federer’s French Open 2021 Withdrawal

Published Jun 7, 2021 | 11:31 PM EDT

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World No.1 Novak Djokovic survived a scare from 19-year-old Italian Lorenzo Musetti, recovering two sets loss to reach the French Open 2021 quarterfinals. Before he could finish the match off, the teenager retired at 6-7 (7), 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-0, 4-0.

Interestingly, the Serbian would’ve met the winner between Matteo Berrettini and Roger Federer in the QFs, but the Swiss maestro had already pulled out from the tournament. The 39-year-old first hinted about a walkover after his three hours and 39 minutes third-round battle against Dominik Koepfer.

In his official statement, Federer had highlighted that he must listen to his body since his two knee surgeries. Hence, he withdrew from Roland-Garros and will now get ready for the grass-court season.

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Novak Djokovic on Roger Federer’s French Open 2021 withdrawal

Undoubtedly, the entire tennis community received a big blow as Federer pulled out. After 18 months, fans were also delighted to watch him on the Parisian clay and wanted to see more.

Additionally, the 2009 Roland-Garros champion himself had a good run at the tournament this year. Surprising many, Federer took wins against Istomin, Cilic, and Koepfer.

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via Reuters

Naturally, the 18-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic also felt surprised on hearing the news. He added that it is a loss for the tournament and that fans wanted to see Federer in the fourth round.

“It was a bit surprising, but only he knows how he feels physically,” Djokovic said. “It’s a pity for the Roland-Garros 2021; it’s Federer after all. I believe everyone wanted to watch him for at least one more match. He is well within his rights if he is having troubles physically.”

Since the draw had come out, every tennis fan was eager to watch the Fed-Djoko quarterfinals at Roland-Garros. Hopefully, the duo might get a chance to face one another at Wimbledon Championships 2021.

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Djokovic’s most troublesome two matches at Roland-Garros

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Inarguably, Italian World No.10 Berrettini would give Djokovic the fight of his life. Therefore, it would not be a surprise to see the Serbian playing the fifth setter again.

via Reuters

Moreover, if Djokovic wins, he will face either Diego Schwartzman or Rafael Nadal in the semifinals. It is the ultimate obstacle between him and his 19th Grand Slam title.

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Do you think Djokovic will go all the way and win the French Open 2021?

Written by:

Purav Joshi

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Purav Joshi is a Tennis author at EssentiallySports. Having a degree in Films, Television and Media Production, he guided his passion for writing and journalism into the sport of aces and rallies. With over 2 years of experience as a copywriter, Purav has authored over 500 tennis articles.
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