'Have a little bit of understanding' – Djokovic reacts to umpire over time violation

This year’s edition of the tournament at Roland-Garros has been repeatedly struck by rain delays and Saturday’s schedule was no different. That meant Djokovic’s match with Musetti did not begin until 10:40pm, local time, having originally been scheduled for 8:15pm.

Djokovic is no stranger to five-setters and got himself into trouble when down two sets to one. The Serbian master pulled himself back level and was in the process of charging to victory in the fifth set when he was called for a time violation by umpire Nour.

He had been preparing to serve but failed to beat the shot clock. As a result, Djokovic lost his first serve in what was a strong ruling.

The crowd responded with whistles and jeers, seemingly protesting the umpire’s decision on Djokovic’s behalf, but the umpire was unmoved.

Musetti then called out to Djokovic, suggesting he should have two serves, a gesture which was greeted with warm applause from the crowd.

Nour remained unconvinced and insisted that the rules be applied, once more announcing that it was second serve.

Boos cascaded down from the crowd on Court Philippe-Chatrier. At this point, the No. 1 seed then approached the umpire’s chair, asking for clemency in view of the late hour.

He said: “By the rules you did the right thing, but have a little bit of understanding of what we’re going through right now, it’s four am!”

Djokovic then returned to his position for his second serve amid more applause.

After the incident, Djokovic continued his drive towards victory, winning the final two games to take the match and advance to the fourth round where he will face Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo.

The match finally ended at 3:07am.

In interviews after the match, Djokovic avoided direct controversy but hinted at his frustration.

He said: “I don’t want to get into it [the schedule]. I have my opinions but I think there are great things to talk about in this match today. Both Lorenzo and my performances stand out, so I don’t want to be talking about the schedule.

“I think some things could have been handled a different way but there’s also a beauty in winning a match [so late].”

Djokovic went on: “I need to say congratulations to Lorenzo, it’s a shame someone had to lose. He played an incredible match and was very, very close to winning. It’s very difficult to sleep with all the adrenaline, but I will try.”