Novak Djokovic opened his French Open campaign with a hard-earned four-set win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, rallying for a 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 victory at Roland Garros in just under three hours on Sunday. The 39-year-old, playing in his record 82nd appearance at a major, was pushed early but found his rhythm when it mattered.
The match gave Djokovic his first win on clay in 2026 and sent him into a second-round meeting with Valentin Royer, who beat Bolivian qualifier Hugo Dellien to advance. Afterward, Djokovic said the contest was mentally demanding and described Mpetshi Perricard’s serve as one of the most difficult he has faced for pace and precision. He also said the three-hour battle was “just what the doctor ordered at age 39.”
Djokovic is chasing a 25th major crown and, if he lifts the trophy again in Paris, would move clear as the player with the most Grand Slam titles in history. That push takes on added weight because his last major title came at the US Open in 2023, and he had struggled with a shoulder issue that kept him out of most of the clay-court build-up.
The draw has also opened a path that does not include Carlos Alcaraz, the double-defending Roland Garros champion, who is out through injury. That gives every strong start more value, and Djokovic needed his to be a tough one after Mpetshi Perricard’s power forced him into a deep early battle before the Serbian veteran took control.
Elsewhere on Sunday, second seed Alexander Zverev beat Benjamin Bonzi 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 and said it was “always nice to start with a straight-sets win.” Zverev was broken once in the second set but still moved through in routine fashion and will next face Tomas Machac, who beat Zizou Bergs 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. Karen Khachanov also advanced, beating French wild card Arthur Gea in straight sets after Gea had to plead with the umpire for a mid-match toilet break.
Those results left the top half of the men’s draw looking more settled by the end of the opening day, but Djokovic’s name still carried the most weight. At 39, he is not just trying to survive the first week in Paris; he is trying to make the kind of run that would turn one bruising opener into the start of another title charge.
