French Open: Novak Djokovic rallies past Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard after dropping first set, makes Grand Slam history
Novak Djokovic faced an early test on Sunday, dropping his first set in French Open play to unseeded Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
But he rallied for a tough second-set victory, then largely cruised from there to a 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 win in the first round at Roland-Garros.
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Mpetshi Perricard appeared to run out of steam after the lengthy first two sets. A Grand Slam-tested Djokovic blitzed through the third, then broke Mpetshi Perricard to open the fourth.
Mpetshi Perricard battled back to break Djokovic’s first serve of the fourth to keep the final set competitive. But Djokovic ultimately prevailed and had enough energy to do a little dance after securing the victory with a forehand winner.
The two shared an embrace at the net, and Mpetshi Perricard received an ovation from the appreciative Roland Garros crowd as he walked off the court in defeat.
Djokovic secured the win in his 82nd career start at a Grand Slam tournament, breaking a tie with Roger Federer and Feliciano López for the most all time by a men’s player. Djokovic has now advanced out of the first round in each of his 22 French Open starts.
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The third-seeded Serbian is seeking his fourth career French Open title and his first since 2023. Djokovic will take on another Frenchman, Valentin Royer, in the second round.
