Three-time French Open champion Novak Djokovic survived the stern test posed by Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard to start the 82nd Grand Slam appearance of his career with a four-set win on Sunday night in Paris.
Former world number one Novak Djokovic was made to work by world No. 80 Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard to earn a 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 comeback win in a two-hour, 51-minute gruelling opening round at Roland Garros.
In his on-court interview, he spoke about the Frenchman: "I am sure it would feel different if I were to play him five or ten times, but his serve is truly great.
"It is difficult to read a serve like that, and it is perhaps only the first or second time in my career that I have encountered such a delivery."
The big-serving Frenchman came out firing on all cylinders on Court Philippe-Chatrier, staying clinical behind his flawless delivery and powerful forehand to go toe-to-toe with the 24-time major champion in the first set.
Both players went on serves until the 22-year-old found breathing room to convert his first break in his fourth attempt in a crucial 11th game.
With authority, the young French player served out the opener 7-5, without having faced a break point.
Trailing by a set, the third seed shut the door with class, determined not to surrender his serve while kicking up his level.
Mpetshi Perricard stepped up the pressure but failed to convert either of the two break-point opportunities he had. As a result, the scoreline remained locked on serve at 3-3.
The intense baseline exchanges built on, forcing the two-time ATP title holder to fend off four break points after an edgy 14-shot rally, keeping the set even at 4-4.
He also found momentum at the net, executing drop shots with touch.
Meanwhile, the world No. 4 converted a pivotal break in the 12th game, saving break points in the process to close out 7-5, and even the match at one set apiece.
Playing with aggression, the 39-year-old broke his adversary in the early stages of the third set in commanding fashion to never look back.
Precise with his shotmaking, the Paris Olympics gold medalist imposed his game, breaking twice before shifting momentum to lead by two sets to one.
The players exchanged breaks of serve to open a competitive fourth set, writing another tight chapter in their first encounter on Tour.
The inflection point came in the seventh game when Djokovic produced a double break and hold to love, edging ahead 5-3 to move within one game of taking the triumph.
The man who never gives up the fight, painted the lines before firing a forehand winner to pocket the set 6-4 and the match, roaring to victory.
The margins were small throughout; as a result, the 2026 Australian Open runner-up hit 45 winners (12 aces) against 18 unforced errors, compared to the Lyon-born 54 and 46, respectively.
In addition, the three-time champion won 81 percent of the points on his first serve and 70 percent on his second serve.
Ultimately, the Serbian made the difference with his feel, finding his rhythm while using his experience well to continue his quest for a record 25th Grand Slam alive on French soil.
Djokovic remains undefeated in the first round at Roland Garros; on Sunday, he played just his second match on clay this season after exiting early in Rome due to a shoulder injury.
"This is not the ideal strategy of coming into Roland Garros with one match on clay," he added. "That was not part of the plan. But it was a situation that I have to accept with the circumstances of being injured. It is what it is.
"I got myself prepared for Paris, and I was always planning to come and try my best."
Next, he will meet world No. 74 Valentin Royer, who earlier moved past qualifier Hugo Dellien 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in one hour and 58 minutes.
It will be the first match between Djokovic and Royer at the tour level.