The 24-time Grand Slam champion made his debut with a hard-fought victory against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, in which the Serbian started from less to more to win 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 in the first round.
The former world No. 1 recently set a new record in Grand Slam tournaments by becoming the player with the most main draw participations in major tournaments, with a total of 82 appearances, surpassing the record of Roger Federer and Feliciano López.
Novak Djokovic revives viral Roland Garros dance celebration
The 39-year-old Serbian showed his good mood after overcoming the first-round duel against local player Mpetshi Perricard. A year ago, both had responded to each other on social media with dances celebrating their victories when leaving the court.
Djokovic reached the semifinals, where he eventually lost to Jannik Sinner in straight sets, while Sabalenka finished as runner-up, being defeated by Coco Gauff in the final. This time, both are looking to improve on last year’s performance, although there is still a long way to go in the next two weeks to keep adding victories and new dance moves.
Sabalenka is preparing for her debut on Tuesday against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first round. The first seed arrives as one of the favourites for the title in Paris, where she is chasing her 5th major title and her first outside hard courts.
Both Sabalenka and Djokovic have shown a good relationship off court in the last couple of seasons and have often shared photos and videos on social media of their off-court meetings, in which they have even spent time with their respective partners. Nole has even revealed the admiration his daughter Tara feels for the Belarusian, whom she considers her favourite player.
Novak Djokovic finds rhythm on clay
Djokovic secured his first clay-court win of the season, after having played only a preparatory tournament ahead of the second Grand Slam of the year. The Serbian played the Italian Open a couple of weeks ago, losing on his debut in Rome against Croatia’s Dino Prizmic in three sets.
Djokovic himself has acknowledged that he has not been in optimal physical condition in recent months to compete at the highest level, and that he has focused his preparation on arriving in the best possible shape for Roland Garros—one of his main objectives of the season as he continues his pursuit of a 5th major title.
Despite arriving far from a strong confidence level and with only three tournaments played so far this season, Djokovic delivered a solid performance against Mpetshi Perricard, starting slowly but improving steadily to secure the victory in his debut.
Djokovic advanced to the next round, where he will face France’s Valentin Royer, who comes from a comfortable straight-sets win over Hugo Dellien. If he continues advancing, a potential third-round clash with João Fonseca looms—or a rematch with Dino Prizmic, his conqueror earlier in the season at the Rome Open.