At Roland Garros this year, Novak Djokovic has been the personification of both the calm and the storm. On one hand, he stood at The King of Clay’s retirement ceremony over the weekend with a somber expression on his face and restlessness in his heart. “I was thinking about my end of the road as well…when we were watching Rafa having his speech,” the 24-time Grand Slam winner surprisingly disclosed. However, come Tuesday, one thing was clear: The heart wants what it wants. And that Djokovic still has a fierce fire inside him—one that is not ready to give up so soon no matter how much he ponders about it.

The biggest proof? A recent controversial run-in with the chair umpire which brought his intense passion to the forefront once again. When Djokovic arrived at the Court Philippe-Chatrier for a Round 1 clash against USA’s Mackenzie McDonald, there were two things on his mind: Clinching that elusive fourth French Open title, and taking his Roland Garros Round 1 winning streak to 21. With the first wish pretty far away, Djokovic at least had to make sure his second one was intact. Unfortunately, an untimely interruption put him through the wringer both physically and emotionally.

As a bout of rain and wind made it increasingly difficult for him to see, the 38-year-old urged officials to stop the play. As per an X user present at the venue, “Novak Djokovic’s Paris journey begins… with the Serb getting angry because he believes the match should be stopped due to rain. [Google translated from Spanish]”. However, the chair umpire and the supervisor refused to do so, prompting the superstar to have a lengthy, heated conversation with them.

Notably, because of the incident, he also received a time violation for delaying play. The score was then 4-2 in favor of the Serb. Previously, we’ve seen Alex Eala’s match against Emiliano Arango halted due to rain. Eala was then on the verge of gaining a bit of momentum after losing the first set, but the Rain God had other ideas, and he lost that match by 0-6, 6-2, 3-6. Even other American tennis stars like Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, and Tommy Paul had to face a similar delay in their matches. 

Now, if we come back to this recent match, so far, Novak Djokovic has not only secured the first set but also got a lead in the second one as well. Will he now wish to see a stoppage in play, though?

If Novak Djokovic wins this match, he could face the local lad, Corentin Moutet, in the next match before taking on Denis Shapovalov (possibly) in the third round. In the fourth round, his probable opponents could be either Daniil Medvedev or Ugo Humbert. If we go down further, in the QF, he may have to cross paths with Alexander Zverev (2024 finalist) before taking on the world number one, Jannik Sinner, in the SF. There is no chance of him facing the defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz, before the final.

Well, last year while talking about his hunger to perform against these youngsters even at this age, Djokovic said, “I feel I can still play at the highest level. Sinner and Alcaraz have established themselves as the two best players in the world, not to forget Alexander Zverev. All of them will be the main candidates to win the Slams and other titles. However, physically and mentally, I am ready to play my tennis again, and I have the feeling that I can challenge these guys. My experience can come in handy.“

Talking about his goals for the 2025 season, he then mentioned, “Next year, I will play more tournaments, and the Grand Slams will be my priority. I will give my best to win, of course, if my body allows me to.” Although there were several doubts about his chances at the 2025 French Open, his incredible win in Geneva has put those doubts in the back seat now.

Just a few days ago, Novak Djokovic ended his long wait by securing his 100th career singles title by defeating Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in the finals of the Geneva Open by 5-7, 7-6(2), 7-6(2). With this victory, he joined the likes of Jimmy Connors, who has 109 titles, and Roger Federer with 103 titles in the elite 100 Club! Reacting to this massive win, he said, “I’m just grateful to clinch the 100 here. I had to work for it, that is for sure.” Now, since that record has been achieved, can he secure his 25th major title on the Parisian clay? “Obviously winning 100th title, that is a nice milestone, of course, definitely much needed for my game and confidence level coming into Roland Garros.” 

But, what do the experts have to say on this?

Tennis legends share their verdict on Novak Djokovic’s chances at the French Open

Novak Djokovic‘s last success at the French Open came in 2023 when he defeated Casper Ruud in the final by 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-5. Last year, although he reached the QF, the Serb was forced to withdraw from his match against Ruud due to an injury. However, he did manage to clinch a gold medal for his nation at the Paris Olympics on the same surface.

Talking about his chances at the 2025 French Open, Chris Evert previously claimed, “The way he’s playing right now, he’s not gonna win. So he would have to play spectacular tennis like every single match. And I mean, I could see him definitely getting to the second week. I could see getting to a semi, but I don’t know him.” However, according to Mats Wilander, Djokovic can indeed become “the big, big favorite” to win the tournament if he manages to reach the second week of this mega event.

Speaking on the same, American legend, John McEnroe, claimed that the Serb has got “the best draw of anyone” to make a deep run at the 2025 French Open. In a recent interview, he said, “You might look back and he loses and, ‘Ah see, of course, he’s 38. He’s too old. It caught up to him,’ or whatever. But you don’t count him out. And he’s got the best draw of anyone to get to there…So Novak to me would still be, like, the third favourite.” 

Do you think after sealing the victory in this opener, the 24-time Grand Slam champion can move closer to his 25th?