Novak Djokovic, in the late stage of his career, is chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title at the 2026 French Open. However, the 39-year-old is no longer the undisputed favorite. Instead, he is managing a lighter schedule with a new approach, and former world No. 1 Andy Roddick weighed in on the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s performance after watching him come back against 22-year-old Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round.
Novak Djokovic’s Serena Williams Approach Leaves Andy Roddick Doubting His Form at French Open
Over the past few years, the ATP Tour has officially moved on to the ‘Sincaraz’ era, with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz having won 11 of the last 14 Grand Slam titles between them. Djokovic remains formidable, but his 2026 season started with a deep run at the Australian Open, where he finished as the runner-up after a four-set loss to Alcaraz.
Knowing he cannot play 80 matches a year anymore, Djokovic has heavily reduced his tour schedule. His opening match at Roland Garros perfectly shows his current approach. Facing off against Perricard, Djokovic looked vulnerable early on. For the first time since 2010, the Serb dropped an opening-round set at the French Open, losing the first set 7-5. Still, he weathered the storm and ultimately ground down the young Frenchman to win 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4.
And Roddick believes that Djokovic is now using these early rounds to actively “play himself into shape.” On a recent episode of his podcast, “Served with Andy Roddick,” the former ATP pro pointed to a tactical error that is rarely seen from a player of Djokovic’s caliber.
“I thought we were going to see Novak detonate; he was up a break early in the fourth set and let it go. He missed a drop shot wide, which is a big no-no. Even the GOATs make mistakes sometimes, but he gets through that one,” Roddick noted.
Roddick also drew a parallel to 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams.
“Novak gets through, but I don’t know that we got a full read on where he’s at. He’s entering that phase of his career, not dissimilar to Serena at certain points in hers, where he plays himself into shape during Slams, which is crazy for the rest of us to think about as an option.”
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Growing older and facing injuries, especially after she returned to the tour following the birth of her daughter in 2017, Williams had also reduced her playing schedule. Instead of grinding through all the WTA tour events to build match fitness, she would often join Grand Slams directly with little to no warm-up matches and still make deep runs.
Next up in Paris, in the second round, Djokovic will face another French player, 24-year-old Valentin Royer. Although the draw has been significantly changed this year due to Alcaraz withdrawing with a lingering wrist injury, it also means that the road to the trophy almost certainly runs directly through Sinner, who just completed the Career Golden Masters with a win in Rome.
