PARIS, May 24 – Novak Djokovic launched his pursuit of a historic 25th Grand Slam championship by setting a new record and overcoming an early challenge, defeating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 5-7 7-5 6-1 6-4 in Sunday’s French Open first round.
The Serbian tennis star surpassed Roger Federer’s record for most Grand Slam men’s singles tournament appearances, reaching 82 total competitions, though he struggled early at Court Philippe Chatrier after competing in just one clay court match this season.
His lack of recent clay court practice became evident when Mpetshi Perricard secured a 6-5 advantage in the first set, then sealed it with a powerful ace to become the first player in 17 years to win an opening set against Djokovic in Roland Garros’s first round.
“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.”
The tournament’s third seed managed to handle more of Mpetshi Perricard’s baseline power and finally capitalized on his 10th break opportunity in the second set to even the match, with the 39-year-old gradually increasing his intensity to dominate the third set.
After Mpetshi Perricard needed medical attention for wrist and arm problems and managed to recover an early break in the fourth set, Djokovic regained the lead at 4-3 and secured his opening victory in his 22nd consecutive Grand Slam tournament appearance.
Following his victory, Djokovic performed a small celebratory dance before acknowledging his supporters in the crowd.
“Beautiful atmosphere, it gives me a lot of sensations on the court,” he said.
