Djokovic breaks tie with Nadal

Novak Djokovic broke a tie with rival Rafael Nadal by reaching the French Open quarterfinals for the record 17th time, never truly in trouble during a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Juan Pablo Varillas on Sunday.

“Well, I’m proud of it, but my attention is already on the next match,” said Djokovic, who will play No. 11 Karen Khachanov for a semifinal berth that could come against No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. “I know what my goal is here. I’m trying to stay, mentally, the course and of course not look too far.”

That’s because Djokovic is closing on bettering Nadal in a more prestigious category: Grand Slam singles championships. Both currently sit at 22. For Djokovic, that total includes two at Roland Garros, in 2016 and 2021, and he can become the first man to own at least three trophies from each major tournament.

Nadal is a 14-time champion in Paris but is missing this time because of a hip injury; he had arthroscopic surgery Friday night that is expected to sideline him for the rest of the year.

“I really hope that his rehabilitation process can go well and that we can see him next season. He’s so important for our game, on and off the court, one of the greatest legends of tennis in the history of the game,” Djokovic said. “We want to see a healthy Rafa, no question about it.”

Alcaraz extended his Grand Slam winning streak to 11 matches — he won the U.S. Open in September, then missed the Australian Open in January with a leg injury — by beating No. 17 Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

Alcaraz’s opponent in a second consecutive quarterfinal at Roland Garros will be No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas or Sebastian Ofner.

The No. 3-seeded Djokovic, meanwhile, is this far for the 14th time in a row at the French Open and for the 55th time overall at all majors. Roger Federer, who retired with 58, is the only man to reach more.

Djokovic takes an 8-1 head-tohead mark into Tuesday’s meeting with Khachanov, who defeated Lorenzo Sonego 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7), 6-1.

“He’s one of the toughest tasks, toughest opponents,” Khachanov said about Djokovic, “and you cannot count him out.”