Tag: Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic came from a set down to beat Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 and book his spot in the second round of the French Open on Sunday.

The 24-time major champion Djokovic is seeking to win a fourth Roland Garros crown, which would send him beyond Margaret Court as the player with the most Grand Slam titles in the history of the sport.

“His service is practically impossible to see… Only once or twice in my career (have I seen a serve like it),” Djokovic said on-court of his big-serving opponent.

It was a first victory on the red dirt of the season for the 39-year-old after he skipped the vast majority of the clay-court swing due to a shoulder issue.

Djokovic showed his rustiness by blinking first in the opening set as Mpetshi Perricard got the Parisian crowd on their feet with a break of serve in the 11th game, before holding comfortably to get his nose in front.

Djokovic managed to engineer his first two break points of the match in the sixth game of the second frame but failed to convert as the 22-year-old roared back to ensure the set stayed level at 3-3.

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But the Serb, one of tennis’ all-time great returners, was starting to get the measure of the 2.01-metre Mpetshi Perricard’s bullet serve and eventually got the break he so desperately craved in the 12th game of the second set to level the match.

When Mpetshi Perricard sent a wide stretched forehand after chasing down a Djokovic drop shot, it was the first break point converted by the former world number one out of 10 across the set.

With his eye now firmly in, Djokovic wasted no time in getting ahead in the third frame as he broke the former world number 29 in the second game to race into a 3-0 lead.

The unrelenting Djokovic then won three of the next four games to claim a rapid-fire third set. The pair exchanged breaks right at the start of the fourth set before the match settled back into its earlier ebb and flow.

Djokovic struck again to get 4-3 ahead, this time serving out to book his spot in the round of 64, where he will face another Frenchman, Valentin Royer.

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Novak Djokovic arrives at Roland Garros this year facing a familiar opponent, but one that cannot be outmanoeuvred even by the record 24-time Grand Slam champion: time.

The Serbian, who turns 39 this week, is no longer the immovable presence he once was, his famed durability now increasingly a concern in a sport shaped by younger, physically explosive rivals.

The question is not simply whether he can win another French Open, but how he continues to adjust his game and mindset to defy the natural erosion that comes with advancing years.

While his scheduling is more selective and his approach more pragmatic, Djokovic conceded he would have liked more time on clay before coming to Paris.

He has played in just three tournaments in 2026, and lost his only match on clay to Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic at this month’s Italian Open.

Djokovic pulled out of tournaments in Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid while dealing with a shoulder injury — with strapping visible during his brief stay in Rome.

“It’s not an ideal preparation, to be honest,” said Djokovic, who will be seeded third at Roland Garros.

“I don’t recall the last time I had in the last couple of years where I didn’t have any kind of physical issues or health issues in the last couple of years, coming into the tournament. There’s always something. Kind of a new reality that I have to deal with.”

It is a candid admission from a player who has built his career on meticulous planning and physical resilience, but who is confronting the realities of an ageing body.

“It is frustrating,” he said. “At the same time it’s my decision to still perform in that kind of state and conditions.”

Djokovic’s record at Roland Garros underlines why he cannot be discounted. The absence of defending two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz is another factor in his favour.

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A three-time French Open champion and one of the few players to consistently trouble Rafael Nadal on the surface, Djokovic has reached the quarter-finals or better at each edition since a third-round loss in 2009.

But the physical demands of clay are unforgiving, and Djokovic is acutely aware of the marginal losses that come with age.

“I see what I’m missing,” he said. “Late half a step. I’m not definitely where I want to be for the highest level, to compete at the highest level and to be able to get far.”

Recent seasons have also shown the growing challenge of sustaining peak performance over the two-week grind of a Grand Slam. Matches that once tilted towards him now demand sustained excellence from first point to last.

His preparation, as he openly acknowledges, has limits. “I train hard. I train as much as the body allows me to,” he said. “Then how it turns out on the court, that’s really unpredictable.”

However, Djokovic is one of just two men to beat red-hot title favourite Jannik Sinner this season, having ended his Australian Open reign.

Djokovic delivered what he called one of his best performances in a decade to outlast the Italian in five sets in the semi-finals in January, fired up by those who had written him off.

“I never stopped doubting. I never stopped believing in myself,” said the former world number one at the time.

“There’s a lot of people that doubt me. I see there is a lot of experts all of a sudden that wanted to retire me or have retired me many times the last couple of years.

“I want to thank them all because they gave me strength. They gave me motivation to prove them wrong.”

Djokovic would go on to lose to Alcaraz in the final, and has not added to his Grand Slam haul since the 2023 US Open, but it would be foolish to dismiss him again, as he has proved many times over.

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Novak Djokovic was eliminated from the Italian Open in the second round on Friday by Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion was making his comeback from a shoulder injury in the last big tournament before the French Open.

Djokovic was playing for the first time since losing in the last 16 at Indian Wells in March, having pulled out of tournaments in Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid.

The 38-year-old had not been knocked out this early in a tournament since the Madrid Open last year, and looked a long way from the player who has won six Rome titles.

“I don’t think I played so bad, to be honest,” Djokovic told reporters. “It was OK, it was a good battle in the end, but obviously I see what I’m missing. I’m late half a step. I’m not definitely where I want to be for the highest level to compete.”

Novak Djokovic added that he hopes he can be in good condition for Roland Garros, which starts later this month, saying, “let’s see what happens”.

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Playing with a shoulder brace, Djokovic had breezed through the first set, helped by Prizmic’s 13 unforced errors.

But the world number four’s hitting started to look increasingly tentative as Prizmic rattled off four straight games at the start of the second set, with his powerful ground strokes finding their mark.

Prizmic came to the Italian capital with a career-high ranking of 79 after reaching the third round in Madrid — beating world number six Ben Shelton in the process — and had also dispatched Marton Fucsovics to set up his clash with Djokovic.

The 20-year-old reached the third round of a second consecutive Masters 1000 event with the biggest scalp of his career to date.

Djokovic is Prizmic’s idol, and a landmark win gives the young talent a match with either Ugo Humbert or Vit Kopriva and a chance to make the fourth round of a top-tier event on the ATP Tour for the first time.

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Former three-time winner Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the Madrid Open beginning next week as he needs more time to recover from a shoulder injury.

The former world number one and 24-time Grand Slam winner has not played since losing to Briton Jack Draper in the Indian Wells fourth round just over a month ago.

“Madrid, unfortunately I won’t be able to compete this year,” the Serbian 38-year-old posted on Instagram on Friday.

“I’m continuing my recovery in order to be back soon. Hasta pronto!”

The current world number four lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final at the beginning of February before hinting that retirement may be just around the corner.

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He pulled out of the Doha Open later that month due to fatigue.

He reached the fourth round in Indian Wells but then pulled out of the Masters 1000 events in Miami and Monte Carlo due to his shoulder injury.

He has played just two tournaments this year.

The news is another blow for Djokovic with time running out to be fit for the year’s second Grand Slam, the French Open, which begins in Paris in a month’s time.

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World No. 2 Jannik Sinner continued his dominant run, cruising into the fourth round of the Miami Open with a commanding straight-sets victory while also rewriting the record books.

The Italian star brushed aside France’s Corentin Moutet 6-1, 6-4 in a one-sided third-round encounter, extending his remarkable streak at Masters 1000 events.

In doing so, Sinner registered his 25th and 26th consecutive sets won at this level, surpassing the previous record of 24 set by Novak Djokovic in 2016.

The 23-year-old has now won his last two Masters 1000 titles, Indian Wells and Paris, without dropping a single set.

“I am very happy,” Sinner said after the match. “This sport is unpredictable, so we try to keep attention as much as we can, and we’ll see what is coming in the next round.”

Jannik Sinner was in complete control from the outset on the Hard Rock Stadium’s main court, racing to a 4-1 lead after winning 19 of the first 26 points.

He wrapped up the opening set in just 22 minutes and never allowed Moutet a foothold in the contest.

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The second seed fired seven aces, converted three of six break points, and saved the only break opportunity he faced. He will next take on American Alex Michelsen, who staged a comeback win over Alejandro Tabilo.

While Sinner’s campaign gathers momentum, the tournament has seen a wave of high-profile exits.

Defending champion Jakub Mensik was knocked out in a marathon clash against Frances Tiafoe, who edged a gripping three-set battle 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(11).

The nearly three-hour encounter saw Mensik save six match points before eventually succumbing, while Tiafoe himself held his nerve after saving two match points in the final-set tiebreak.

The American will now face France’s Terence Atmane in the next round.

Atmane progressed with a notable upset over Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, adding to a growing list of seeded casualties in Miami.

Among the biggest shocks was the early exit of Daniil Medvedev, who fell to Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo in three sets. The tournament had already seen world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, Alex De Minaur and Ben Shelton bow out earlier.

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Novak Djokovic is convinced US tennis great Serena Williams will return to competition, and the 24-time Grand Slam champion is itching to see “one of the greatest athletes” back on court.

“I think she’s coming back,” Djokovic said Wednesday at the ATP/WTA Indian Wells Masters.

“I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to her, but I guess the sentiment is that she’s coming back. Where and how, singles, doubles, we don’t know, and if I’m in her position, I would hide it too.”

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, hasn’t competed since a third-round loss at the 2022 US Open.

But the 44-year-old mother of two re-entered the anti-doping testing pool in December and regained eligibility.

Initially she denied she planned a comeback, but in January she declined to rule it out, telling NBC’s “Today” show: “That’s not a yes or a no. I don’t know, I’m just going to see what happens.”

Djokovic said players were buzzing at the prospect.

“Everybody is excited, and it’s definitely something that’s very highly anticipated,” he said.

Williams’s sister Venus, 45, accepted a wild card into the Indian Wells singles draw and will face France’s Diane Parry in the first round.

Djokovic suggested Serena could return for Wimbledon — where she is a seven-time singles champion.

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“I pick that one as well as her comeback,” he said. “I don’t know. I think she might maybe play a doubles tournament or two with Venus. That would be nice to see, just from my point of view and tennis fans’, for sure.

“She’s one of the greatest athletes, really. It would be great to have her back too.”

Djokovic is seeded third in Indian Wells as he plays his first event since he fell to Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final, after toppling Jannik Sinner in the semis.

“For me that has been a phenomenal result,” the 38-year-old said. “I have proven to myself primarily and to others that I can still compete at the highest level and beat these guys.

“So my logic is why not keep going as long as I have that fire and flair and quality and also motivation to do that.

“There are objectives and goals that are always there. You want to win, so you want to get another title and get another Slam, hopefully,” he said. “I was close in Australia.”

Djokovic’s five Indian Wells titles are tied for the most with Swiss great Roger Federer.

But he hasn’t reached the quarter-finals since his last title run in 2016.

He’ll launch his latest desert campaign on Saturday against either France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak.

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Novak Djokovic leaves the Australian Open still stuck on 24 Grand Slam titles and with fresh doubts about how many more tries he will have at winning an outright-record 25th.

The 38-year-old, Djokovic, has consistently dismissed talk of retirement and said he is eyeing the defence of his Olympic gold at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.

But after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in four sets in the final on Sunday, the Serb suggested he may not be back in Melbourne.

“God knows what happens tomorrow, let alone in six months or 12 months,” he told the crowd at Rod Laver Arena. “So it has been a great ride. I love you guys.”

Djokovic has won a record 10 Australian Opens and until Sunday had never lost a final there.

But for all his success, Djokovic has not always had an easy relationship with the Melbourne fans.

“I want to just say in the end that you guys, particularly the last couple of matches, gave me something that I have never experienced in Australia,” he said.

“That much love, support, positivity. I tried to give you back with good tennis over the years.”

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It had the ring of a farewell speech and did not appear to have been just an emotional response to defeat. He said he had prepared two speeches, one for winning and the other for losing.

Novak Djokovic won his 24th Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2023, drawing him level with the Australian Margaret Court at the top of the all-time list.

But age and injuries, plus the emergence of world number one Alcaraz and number two Jannik Sinner, have left him unable to win another.

Before Sunday, his previous Grand Slam final had been in 2024, when he lost the Wimbledon decider, again to Alcaraz.

Last year, he reached the semi-finals of all four majors but got no further, with Alcaraz and Sinner sharing the spoils.

He rolled back the years to defeat Sinner, 14 years his junior, in a five-set semi-final marathon in Melbourne.

But after Djokovic won the first set, the 22-year-old Alcaraz took a stranglehold on the final to sweep to victory 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.

Underlining where Djokovic is now in the pecking order of men’s tennis, he admitted he had not expected to reach another major final.

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Carlos Alcaraz swept past Novak Djokovic to win his first Australian Open on Sunday and become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam, denying the Serbian great an unprecedented 25th major.

The Spaniard was imperious after a slow start in dismissing the 38-year-old, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 on Rod Laver Arena to claim a seventh Slam title and cement himself as undisputed world number one.

In doing so, he became the youngest man in the Open era to win all four majors, adding to his two titles each from Wimbledon and the French and US Opens.

At 22, he surpassed legendary countryman Rafael Nadal — in the crowd to witness the feat — who was two years older when he did the same.

A seventh Slam put him alongside John McEnroe and Mats Wilander and one behind Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, and Ivan Lendl.

It was a first defeat for Djokovic in a Melbourne final, having won all 10 previously, leaving him still searching for a landmark 25th major to better Australia’s Margaret Court, who was also watching on centre court.

Djokovic, striving to become the oldest man to lift a Grand Slam singles trophy, last won one at the US Open in 2023. Since then, Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have shared the spoils.

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Both men battled through five long sets in their semi-finals, Alcaraz against Alexander Zverev and Djokovic against Sinner, and recovery was always going to be key after their physical struggles.

But they showed few signs of fatigue in another gladiatorial contest.

They both opened with comfortable holds before a double fault and netted forehand presented the first break point chance for Djokovic at 2-1.

Alcaraz saved it, but the aggressive fourth seed kept pressing and converted on his third, then consolidated for a 4-1 lead.

Djokovic was reading Alcaraz’s serve well and once he got in the rallies was authoritative, with a sensational forehand winner earning him two set points.

He claimed the set in a statement 33 minutes after a ninth unforced error from the top seed, having dominated the big moments.

It was vintage Djokovic, but Alcaraz came storming back, upping the tempo to break for 2-1 in the second set, pumping his fist when he saved a break point and held in the next game.

Djokovic put drops to his eyes and began rubbing them, unable to tame a now rampant Alcaraz who broke again for 5-2.

There were some sensational rallies that had the crowd on their feet in set three, which went with serve until Djokovic slapped a forehand wide under pressure to slip 2-3 behind.

He gamely saved four set points at 3-5 but with his energy levels dropping was unable to save a fifth as the Spaniard took control.

On the back foot, Djokovic then saved six break points in an 11-minute opening service game in set four to stay alive and kept fighting hard.

But Alcaraz ground him down and pounced as Djokovic served to stay in the match to seal a maiden Australian championship.

It ensured he remained world number one and Sinner two, with Djokovic moving up a place to three ahead of Zverev.

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Novak Djokovic will face Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final after stunning reigning two-time champion Jannik Sinner early Saturday in a five-set marathon to move to the brink of history.

The 38-year-old Serb rolled back the years to battle past Sinner 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a 1:32 am finish and plays top seed Alcaraz in Sunday’s Melbourne title decider.

If he beats a player 16 years younger, Djokovic would win an all-time record 25th Grand Slam crown.

Alcaraz defied fitness issues in an epic five-set triumph of his own, over German third seed Alexander Zverev, in the other semi-final.

With age and injuries catching up with Djokovic, this may represent the Serb’s best chance of seizing that elusive 25th major, although his gritty display against Sinner shows he still has plenty left in the tank.

His last Grand Slam title came at the US Open in 2023, since when Alcaraz and Sinner have dominated men’s tennis.

It has left Djokovic stranded alongside Australia’s Margaret Court — who was in the stadium watching — tied on 24 majors.

Sinner, 24, made a rapid start at Rod Laver Arena, breaking Djokovic’s serve to race into a 3-0 lead.

The four-time major winner was in superb touch, his serve firing and his groundstrokes unerring to seal the first set.

Back came Djokovic, breaking serve for a 3-1 lead in the second set and then saving three break points for 4-1.

Djokovic sent a whipping cross-court forehand beyond Sinner on his first set point to level the match.

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Djokovic seemed to wilt midway through the third set, holding his chest briefly and then half-collapsing into his seat.

Sinner had three break points at 5-4 and nailed the set on the second one when a Djokovic lob drifted long.

But the gutsy Djokovic was not done, breaking the Sinner serve early in the fourth set as the time ticked past midnight.

They went to a deciding fifth set, and the tension went up another notch, as Sinner repeatedly squandered chances to break serve.

Djokovic was ruthless, seizing the break for 4-3, then holding, to put an 11th Melbourne final within reach.

Somehow, Sinner saved two match points at 4-5 down, before Djokovic got the job done, third time lucky.

The former world number one is the undisputed king of Melbourne Park, having won 10 titles there.

But he admitted he was very lucky after reaching the semi-finals and acknowledged he was the underdog against Sinner.

Djokovic was two sets down in his quarter-final to Lorenzo Musetti when the Italian fifth seed retired hurt.

He also had a free ride through the fourth round when Jakub Mensik pulled out injured.

Djokovic reached the semi-finals of all four majors last year, but failed to go further.

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Ten-time champion Novak Djokovic reached the Australian Open quarter-finals without striking a ball Sunday after his last-16 opponent Jakub Mensik withdrew.

The pair were due to play in a night match on centre court on Monday, but “super sad” Czech star Mensik pulled out with an abdominal injury.

His withdrawal means Djokovic will play Italian fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti or American ninth seed Taylor Fritz for a place in the semi-finals.

“Unfortunate decision to make for me,” said rising star Mensik, who beat American Ethan Quinn in three sets to set up the Djokovic clash.

“After the last couple of matches I started to feel worse, and actually the problem is my abdominal muscle on the left side.

“I think if I would step on the court tomorrow, it would be such a big risk for me for my next weeks, for my next tournaments, and actually for my health.

“The fact that my fourth-round match was to be against Novak on Rod Laver Arena makes it even more difficult,” added the 20-year-old.

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“So, of course, I’m super sad not to step on the court and to compete against my idol and the GOAT.”

Djokovic became the first player to win 400 Grand Slam matches when he swept past Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in three sets to set up the Mensik match.

The 24-time Slam winner is in good form so far as he bids to shatter the recent dominance of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

Since his last Slam title, in 2023 at the US Open, Alcaraz or Sinner have shared all eight majors.

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