Novak Djokovic is due to compete in his 25th Roland Garros event later this week, in what is just another astounding accolade for this legendary figure.
His longevity at the apex of the sport is truly unparalleled, and yet there is one clear reason why he remains so ever-present on the ATP Tour.
He wants that 25th Grand Slam title so badly, and arguably will never have a better opportunity to claim it at these next two majors.
With Carlos Alcaraz ruled out through injury, it feels like only Jannik Sinner poses a serious and consistent threat to Novak Djokovic’s ultimate conquest now.
However, Andy Roddick has actually argued otherwise.
Andy Roddick’s Novak Djokovic prediction ahead of Roland Garros
Reacting to the Roland Garros draw on his Served with Andy Roddick podcast, he predicted exactly how far Djokovic might go at this year’s event.
Mainly focusing on his first-round match against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, the American pundit began by admitting: “This is going to be a weird thing to say.”
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He continued: “If Novak was in form and playing great, you are going, you don’t want anything that is a massive disruptor. If Novak is short on matches, he is going to make returns. He is going to make enough returns, and he is not going to get pushed physically.
“This is not a match where he’s going to have to empty the tank in three and a half hours and have gruelling rallies. Weirdly, if you are playing badly you want that match up; if you are playing really well you don’t want the threat of someone’s serve.
“Novak is going to make enough stick returns and be able to get through service games pretty comfortably.”
Roddick then claimed: “I have Novak to round four. But Casper Ruud to the semis.”
Novak Djokovic’s nightmare draw at the 2026 Roland Garros
The reason why Roddick seems so unimpressed by Djokovic’s chances in Paris this year is that torrid draw.
After all, it has pitted him against so many tough early opponents, with their stature and quality only growing as the event goes on.
However, of all the unseeded opponents he could have faced, being drawn against Mpetshi Perricard arguably represents the toughest of the bunch.
The big-serving Frenchman has the tools to threaten anybody on the planet, and if Djokovic is not fully focused, he could be served to death in the very first round in front of what will surely be a raucous home crowd.
Things do get easier if he wins that first-round match, with Valentin Royer expected to be his second-round opponent.
However, the pressure ramps back up in the next few rounds, with Joao Fonseca a potential third-round opponent, and the hugely in-form clay-court specialist Casper Ruud sure to await him in the fourth round.
Alex de Minaur as a quarter-finalist represents an easier task for Djokovic, who has never lost to the Australian, before Alexander Zverev and Sinner will surely be his semi-final and final opponents.
