Novak Djokovic Hits Back at Hostile Crowd as He Cruises Past Local Favorite at French Open

The Roland Garros crowd has a historical love-hate affair with Novak Djokovic, and they made their loyalties clear during his first-round clash with Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Drawing parallels to his 2023 moment, Djokovic hit back at the crowd as he cruised past Perricard by winning 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4.

The crowd cheered hard whenever the Frenchman won a point and booed Djokovic on every chance they got. Things got so bad at one stage that the World No. 4 had to make gestures towards the crowd, demanding that they show him some respect.

The atmosphere especially became hostile when an early controversial decision went in Djokovic’s favor. The crowd erupted in boos as soon as the chair umpire made his decision, and this incident turned the opening set into a tense battle.

Another moment that triggered the French crowd was when Djokovic protested and marched towards the chair umpire after not being given a point. With Mpetshi Perricard holding a break point, the crowd relentlessly booed and tried to put Djokovic under pressure. However, all their efforts would go in vain as the 39-year-old saved the break point and won the game.

Mpetshi Perricard held on to take a vital lead in the match. This was the first time in 16 years that the World No. 4 dropped a set in the first round of the Roland Garros.

Over the years, the Parisian crowd booed and jeered Djokovic multiple times. During a hard-fought tiebreak victory over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round in 2023, the Serb let his emotions loose after winning the second set. He unleashed a roar and fist pump, and sarcastically waved his hand to ask for more noise and cupped his ears.

Even during his tense semifinal encounter with Rafael Nadal during his championship run in 2021, he faced the same hostility. But in typical Djokovic style, he thrived on the negativity and channeled it into winning momentum.

Despite losing the first set on Sunday against Perricard, the Serb came up with an immediate response and went on to clinch the next three sets. Having fought hard for the win, Djokovic showered praise on Mpetshi Perricard for his performance.

“I want to congratulate Giovanni on a great match. It’s not many times in my career I’ve faced a serve like that,” he said during his post-match interview.

Djokovic conceded Mpetshi Perricard dominated set one, but found rhythm in set two.

“In the first set, I had no chance. The second set changed a little for me. In a match like that, you have to stay concentrated and wait for an opportunity. It’s a little complicated, but I found my best game, you could say, and my return at the right moment,” he added.

Having entered the French Open with barely any match practice, this is exactly the kind of result that Djokovic would have wanted in the opening round of the tournament. He also broke a major record with his appearance in the match.

Novak Djokovic breaks Roger Federer’s record with French Open appearance

The 39-year-old became the first man to make 82 Grand Slam main draw appearances with his match against Mpetshi Perricard. He has broken the record that was jointly held by Roger Federer and Feliciano Lopez at 81 appearances each.

Additionally, Djokovic also maintained his remarkable unbeaten record against French players. The last player from the country to defeat him was Benoit Paire back in 2018.

Djokovic can extend this record even further as he is set to face France’s Valentin Royer in the second round. Though the pair have never faced each other in a tour-level match before, Djokovic will still be the heavy favorite to triumph in the clash. A victory could see the Serb set up a match against the 19-year-old Joao Fonseca in the third round.

While Djokovic does have a phenomenal record against French opponents, Royer had won the opening round against Hugo Dellien in straight sets and will be determined to end his unbeaten streak in the upcoming match.

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