Djokovic Passes First Roland-Garros Test
The Serb weathered an early storm from hard-serving Mpetshi Perricard and got through in four.
Novak Djokovic dropped the first set of his 2026 Roland Garros campaign but the 24-time major champion was a quick study on Sunday night. He solved the riddle of Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard’s rocket serve and notched a four-set win to book his 102nd career win in Paris, 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4.
“It was very challenging, obviously mentally and for me to hold my nerves in the important moments. Hasn’t happened first set, but then after, it was great because I was able to read his serve a bit more and anticipate better.
“First set, zero chance really on his serve, he has one of the most tremendous serves in terms of precision and speed that I have ever faced in my career.”
22 appearances at the French Open and 22-0 in first-round matches on the Parisian clay.
A complicated but productive day at the office for a legend of the game who just turned 39 and who entered the tournament with some doubts after entering the main draw without a clay court win to his name in 2026.
Tennis ExpressThe Serbian had played just one match on the surface, a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 loss to compatriot Dino Prizmic in Rome.
But the Slams are a different animal, and Djokovic is a different animal at the Slams. He started the evening by breaking the all-time record for Grand Slam main draw appearances with 82, and finished it by erasing many of the doubts that have surrounded him since his loss in Rome.
Unable to break Mpetshi Perricard in the first set, Djokovic would finish the match with five breaks of serve. He heaped praise on the Frenchman for his incredible serve – which topped out at 145 mph – after the match, but it wasn’t good enough to keep the world’s best returner at bay.
Mpetshi Perricard had his teeth in the match for most of the first two sets, but suffered from cramps as the match got away from him in sets three and four.
“It was a real battle the two first sets,” he said. “It was nice to see, I mean, that my serve was a huge weapon against this kind of guy, which is one of the best returner in history.
“There’s a lot of pointers to take. It’s very good that I have a lot of things to improve.”
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— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 24, 2026
Djokovic came away impressed.
“I think nobody wants him in the draw, to be honest. If he puts certain things together, he can have a really bright future,” Djokovic said.
Djokovic improves to 102-17 lifetime at the tournament and will face France’s Valentin Royer in the second round.
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