Serbian tennis ace Novak Djokovic kicked off his pursuit of a remarkable 25th Grand Slam title by defeating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard by 5-7 7-5 6-1 6-4 in the opening round of French Open 2026 on Sunday.
Djokovic has thus gone past Roger Federer for the most appearances (82) in men’s singles Grand Slams.
Perricard, at one stage, had secured a 6-5 lead in the opening set, and he thus became the first player in 17 years to to beat Djokovic in a set in the first round of Roland Garros.
“Congratulations to Giovanni,” Djokovic said in French. “I played him for the first time and it’s practically impossible to see where he will serve. It’s something I’ve seen maybe one or two times in my career, with Reilly Opelka or Ivo Karlovic.
“In a match like that, you have to stay focused and wait for an opportunity. It was a bit difficult, but in the end, I found my best tennis and best return game at the right moment.”
Third seed Djokovic weathered more of Mpetshi Perricard’s power from the baseline and converted his 10th break point of the second set to level the contest and the 39-year-old steadily dialled up the intensity to cruise through the third set.
Mpetshi Perricard received treatment for a wrist and arm issue and recovered an early break in the next set, but Djokovic edged in front again at 4-3 and paved the way for an opening win on his 22nd straight appearance at the Grand Slam.
Djokovic celebrated his win with a little jig and then paid tribute to his fans in the stands.
“Beautiful atmosphere, it gives me a lot of sensations on the court,” he said.
(With Reuters inputs)