Novak Djokovic has endured a challenging start to his French Open campaign, with back-to-back matches against French locals Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Valentin Royer. In his match against Mpetshi Perricard, the Serb lost the opening set but staged a promising comeback with a 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 score.
Unlike the evening session match, though, on Wednesday, Djokovic took the court to battle not only Royer but also the scorching heat during the day session.
Novak Djokovic Fails to Close Out His Second French Open Match in Straight Sets
Djokovic appeared dominant in the first two sets of the match, taking a 6-3, 6-2 lead. The third set was a different story. The Serb was visibly struggling in the extreme conditions. Despite securing a break advantage twice, he failed to consolidate both of them.
In the third-set tiebreak, Djokovic also squandered a match point and ultimately lost the set with a 7-6(7) score.
The dramatic duel also saw moments of tension between Djokovic and the spectators. During the final stages of the third set, he was distracted by a fan screaming right before his serve. The Serb quickly approached chair umpire James Keothavong about the disturbance, following which Keothavong issued a stern warning to the crowd, asking them to respect both players.
“They have no respect; no respect,” Djokovic yelled, furiously.
🤐 Hay espectadores abucheando a NOVAK DJOKOVIC en Roland Garros.
🗣 “No tienen respeto, no tienen respeto”, dijo el serbio.
Hay veces que el público francés es realmente incomprensible.pic.twitter.com/uAF2BD7Pq8
— Tiempo De Tenis (@Tiempodetenis1) May 27, 2026
The Serb eventually closed out the match after three hours and 47 minutes, with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(7), 6-3 score. The three-time champion awaits the winner of Dino Prižmić vs. João Fonseca in the third round.
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