‘I changed my underwear’: Djokovic takes ‘mental reset’ as he breaks another record... and icon Becker blasts his teenage opponent

Novak Djokovic has admitted that he changed his underwear during a toilet break that helped him "come back as a new player" in a record-breaking, epic win at the French Open over an opponent who has been blasted by Boris Becker.

World number one Djokovic survived a major scare at the Grand Slam, recovering from losing two tie-breaks to fall two sets behind against Lorenzo Musetti before dropping just one game in the final three sets to storm to the quarterfinals.

The struggling Serb superstar employed a familiar tactic by taking a toilet break as he faced the prospect of a shock defeat to the world number 75 at the end of the second set.

“If you really want to know, during the break I changed over the underwear and the rest," Djokovic revealed to reporters after the comeback victory that gave him the most five-set wins at a Grand Slam of all time.

"But you mainly use this moment to reset you mentally, changing your environment. Even if it’s a short break, you can have a few deep breaths and come back as a new player.”

That is precisely what happened as Djokovic outclassed the youngster in the remainder of the match to set up a clash with another Italian, world number nine Matteo Berrettini – and the nature of Musetti's defeat, retiring when he seemed on the brink of defeat at 4-0 down in the fifth set, drew an unimpressed response from tennis great Boris Becker.

“When you face the biggest in the scene, you have to be ready physically and mentally," warned the three-time winner of the tournament, speaking to Tennis Tonic.

"The young guns don’t understand that. It’s not just playing tennis, it’s about character and personality. I didn't see a very bad injury. That’s why I don’t think it’s good to stop.

"You should have respect for the other player and say, 'he beat me today – it’s 6-0'. It’s a test of maturity."

Becker had warmer words for Musetti's overall form, describing him as the best teenager in tennis alongside rival Jannik Sinner.

"Athletically, he can absolutely keep up. Novak had problems with Musetti’s style of play," he said.

"He does everything quite well. He doesn’t have the big weapon, but the serve is okay, the movement, the technique and also the confidence because he had already won many matches this year."

Musetti acknowledged that the issue that caused him to call it quits could not be classed as an injury. "It’s, well, just a little bit of cramps and a little bit of low back pain," he said.

"I was not able to win a point any more, and so was not really [ready]. I am grateful also for the crowd that was there, so I decided to retire.”