Novak Djokovic
No.3 seed Novak Djokovic will face Aleksandar Kovacevic in the first round of the French Open
Novak Djokovic made a comeback on the ATP tour at the Italian Open last week after a month-long layoff due to injury. The Serbian had earlier withdrawn from the ATP 1000 Masters event in Madrid and the Barcelona Open due to an injury to his elbow.
However, it was not an ideal return for the Serbian as he suffered a quarter-final exit in Rome after losing to Holger Rune.
Djokovic will have his eyes set on winning a historic 23rd Grand Slam title that would make him the player with the most number of Majors in the history of the sport.
He is currently tied at the top with Rafael Nadal, both having won 22 Grand Slam titles. However, Nadal has withdrawn from the tournament due to an injury and this is a golden opportunity for Djokovic to make the top spot his own. He has previously won the French Open twice – 2016, 2021 and it remains to be seen if he can go all the way and clinch his third.
Kovacevic is a regular in the Challenger Series and playing in the main draw of the French Open is certainly a big leap for him. He has won two Challenger titles so far this year, but his recent form hasn’t been good at all. He will be desperate to put up a good showing against Djokovic, but it will undoubtedly be a very tough challenge. The American has nothing to lose though and it will be interesting to see if he can bring out his A-game to challenge the Serbian superstar.
Date – Sunday, 28th May
Court Type – Clay outdoor surface
Telecast – Sony Ten Network
Start Time – To be Announced
Location – Paris
Match details – First Round
Djokovic and Kovacevic have never played each other before on the ATP tour. This is the first professional head-to-head clash between the two players. On paper, Djokovic is the outright favourite both in terms of rankings. We can certainly expect Kovacevic to put up a tough fight, but it is not likely to be enough against the former World No.1. We are predicting a comfortable win in straight sets for Novak Djokovic.
More Tennis news
Follow our dedicated Tennis page for instant Tennis news and updates