Paris, May 25: Novak Djokovic kicked off his French Open campaign with a victory. In a challenging match, Djokovic made a remarkable comeback to defeat French player Giovanni Mpetshi-Perricard with scores of 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4, securing his place in the second round.
This year marks Djokovic’s 82nd consecutive appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam, breaking the record he previously shared with Roger Federer and Feliciano Lopez. His record now stands at 80 wins and just 2 losses in the opening matches of Grand Slam tournaments. Notably, he has not lost a first match in any Grand Slam since the 2006 Australian Open.
At Roland Garros, Djokovic’s record in first-round matches is now 22-0, the most wins without a loss by any player in the Open Era. Against French players in Paris, he holds an impressive 13-0 record. In their first head-to-head meeting, Djokovic appeared frustrated after falling a set behind against the French player, who delivered a strong serve.
In the first set, Djokovic faced no break points against Perricard’s impressive serve. At 5-5, the French player broke Djokovic’s serve and clinched the set, becoming the first French player in 14 years to win a set against Djokovic in Paris. According to reports from the French Open, Djokovic was down 0-9 in the second set after nearly 12 games.
Perricard saved three set points at 5-6 with an ace but could not secure the fourth set. Djokovic returned serve on a crucial point and won a 17-shot rally to level the score. He executed a delicate drop shot, but Perricard’s forehand passing shot went just wide, leading to a loss of the game. After that, Djokovic did not give Perricard another chance, winning the match in 2 hours and 51 minutes to advance to the second round.
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