Novak Djokovic is into the second round of Roland Garros, but it was far from a simple victory for the 39-year-old.
With that being said, few expected it to be when the draw emerged and pitted him against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the very first round.
The big-serving Frenchman naturally had the support of his home crowd, and early in the match, he was threatening to derail Novak Djokovic’s title charge before it had even got started.
Fortunately, his greatness shone through, and he turned around the one-set deficit to win in four.
Novak Djokovic breaks all-time tennis record with Roland Garros first round in
Even before tonight’s match had concluded, Djokovic had already rewritten tennis history once again.
This is something that the superstar Serbian must certainly be used to by now, with his superhuman longevity and incredible quality helping him remain relevant even after all these years at the top of the game.
Do you feel more or less confident that Novak Djokovic can win Roland Garros after that performance?
Just by taking to the court against Mpetshi Perricard, he became the player with the most outright main-draw appearances at Grand Slam tournaments, with this marking his 82nd, surpassing both Roger Federer and Feliciano Lopez on 81.
Jim Courier, who was covering the match for TNT Sports, stated on the live broadcast: “How about a round of applause for that achievement? He missed a few! He has not had a completely straight run at it. That is an amazing achievement to go with so many.”
Djokovic has been backed as the only man capable of beating Jannik Sinner, but he will need to improve his level if he is to truly mount a title charge.
Novak Djokovic survives first-round scare against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
Despite claiming the win, Djokovic looked in serious danger after losing the first set.
After all, he had yet to even see a break point on Mpetshi Perricard’s ferocious serve, and even when he conjured a few in the second set, he squandered his first eight before finally succeeding.
Give us your one wild prediction for Roland Garros!
It really felt like this could have been just one of those nights for the 24-time Grand Slam champion, but he was not going to just lie down and accept defeat.
His victory may have been aided by the Frenchman suffering from what seemed like hand cramps, but it takes a top player to take advantage of such conditions.
Djokovic will be glad to have navigated this tricky first-round clash well, but he will face another potentially hostile atmosphere as he meets another French player, Valentin Royer, next at Roland Garros.
