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Novak Djokovic placed crystal packs astir his cervix and connected apical of his caput during changeovers to support chill amid the Paris vigor question astatine the French Open connected Wednesday (May 27, 2026).
The 39-year-old Djokovic was pushed by 74th-ranked French subordinate Valentin Royer — who is 15 years younger than him — for much than 3½ hours earlier helium reached the 3rd circular with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (7), 6-3 victory.
For the 4th consecutive time of this year's tournament, the somesthesia roseate supra 32 degrees Celsius (90 Fahrenheit).
“It was a very, precise hard lucifer successful hard conditions” Djokovic said. “A large situation for me. ... Experience helped maine a lot.” When Djokovic won a cardinal constituent aboriginal successful the 4th acceptable with a forehand that helium whipped astir the nett station from acold disconnected the court, the 24-time Grand Slam champion waved his arms toward the assemblage wrong Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia cools himself with the crystal during a interruption of the 2nd circular men's singles tennis lucifer against Valentin Royer | Photo Credit: AP
Djokovic wasted a accidental to adjacent the lucifer retired earlier erstwhile helium missed a backhand agelong successful the third-set tiebreaker past required 4 much lucifer points successful his last work crippled earlier a forehand from Royer landed successful the nett to reason a agelong rally.
When it was yet implicit aft 3 hours and 44 minutes, Djokovic archetypal astir stumbled to the clay. Then helium performed his violin celebration, acting arsenic if helium were playing the strings connected his racket similar the philharmonic instrument.
Before arriving successful Paris, Royer had earned lone 1 tour-level triumph crossed 11 tournaments helium played this season.
Djokovic vs Frenchmen
Djokovic came to Roland Garros with questions implicit his signifier aft getting bushed successful his lone clay-court lucifer earlier the tournament. He mislaid to Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic astatine the Italian Open aft 2 months retired owed to a close enarthrosis injury.
But Djokovic is playing himself backmost into signifier aft coming backmost from a acceptable down to bushed Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, different Frenchman, successful a first-round lucifer that lasted astir 3 hours.
Djokovic improved to 14-0 successful his vocation against Frenchmen astatine Roland Garros and reached the 3rd circular successful Paris for a 21st consecutive year. He raised the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy successful 2016, 2021 and 2023.
“Hopefully I won't look different Frenchman until the extremity of the tournament,” Djokovic said with a laughter during his on-court interview. “Oh my God, I've had enough.”
One duo of Djokovic fans wrong the main stadium held up a motion with a goat connected it — for “Greatest of All Time” — that work “39 is the caller 29.”
Up adjacent for Djokovic is perchance a bigger trial against either 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca oregon the 20-year-old Prizmic, who were playing later. Fonseca has been touted arsenic a aboriginal Grand Slam contender, portion Djokovic himself pointed to large things up for Prizmic aft their gathering successful Rome.
Later, second-seeded Alexander Zverev was playing Tomas Machac successful the nighttime session.
Ukraine gets 3 wins
Elena Rybakina, this year's Australian Open winner, was beaten by Ukrainian hostile Yuliia Starodubtseva 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4).
Also advancing were in-form Ukrainians Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk, who are coming disconnected trophies astatine the Madrid Open and Italian Open, respectively.
The seventh-seeded Svitolina bushed Kaitlin Quevedo 6-0, 6-4 to widen her winning streak to 8 matches. The 15th-seeded Kostyuk bushed Katie Volynets 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3 to widen her winning streak to 13 matches.
Swiatek improves Paris grounds to 42-3
Four-time champion Iga Swiatek improved her vocation grounds astatine Roland Garros to 42-3 by eliminating 35th-ranked Sara Bejlek 6-2, 6-3.
Swiatek won Roland Garros successful 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Swiatek adjacent faces Magda Linette successful the archetypal all-Polish gathering astatine Roland Garros successful the nonrecreational epoch (since 1968). Linette eliminated 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.
Also, 11th-seeded Belinda Bencic bushed American hostile Caty McNally 6-4, 6-0.
