Djokovic into Miami Open fourth round with record-breaking win
Novak Djokovic beat Camilo Ugo Carabelli to make the round of 16 at the 2025 Miami Open on Monday morning (AEDT), in the process setting a new record for most victories at ATP Masters events.
The Serbian now has 411 wins at Masters level, one more than long-time rival Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic had to work for his victory, however, with the third-round encounter playing out much like his opening clash against Rinky Hijikata.
Installed as a heavy favourite by tennis bookmakers, the 37-year-old raced through the first set 6-1 in under half an hour.
But in the second, Djokovic took his foot off the gas while Carabelli began mixing in some creative shots to disturb his opponent’s rhythm.
The result was eight points in a row for the Argentine as Djokovic gave back the early break he had gained.
The set ended up going to a tiebreaker, where Djokovic raised his level to win 7-1, just as he had done days earlier against Hijikata.
After the match, the 24-time Grand Slam champion revealed that breaking Nadal’s record was not on his radar.
“Honestly, I wasn’t thinking about it too much,” he said.
“But of course, [I’m] honoured to have another milestone, another record broken.
“There’s always something on the line every time I play, of course that motivates me to do well in the tournament.”
Djokovic did, however, confess to having his eye on another record in the sport.
He sits on 99 career titles, while Jimmy Connors holds the record at 109.
“It would definitely be amazing to get to that record,” Djokovic said.
“Connors is someone that I truly admire and respect.
“He’s always very supportive of me in public, so I’m very thankful for that.
“But again, it’s probably, yeah, more difficult to achieve that nowadays for me than maybe it was some years ago.
“I’ll go step by step. I’ll see.
“I don’t know how long I’m going to compete for, but I’m still enjoying myself when I play well.”
Tennis betting sites have Djokovic as a clear favourite at $3 to win the Miami Open, ahead of Alexander Zverev at $4.50.
Next up, he faces Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, where BetOnline has him at $1.33 to win through to the quarter-finals.
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