Novak Djokovic is set to begin his quest at the Roland Garros, aiming to secure a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title to surpass Margaret Court and stand alone as the most decorated player in tennis history. While he isn’t considered the tournament favorite this year, American tennis legend John McEnroe is optimistic about Djokovic’s campaign.
Despite early exits at the Monte Carlo and Madrid Masters, Djokovic has regained his form, recently setting a unique record by clinching 100th ATP title at the Geneva Open with a hard-fought victory over Hubert Hurkacz. Now, as the 38-year-old Serbian prepares to chase his fourth Roland Garros title, McEnroe has advised fans not to overlook him.
“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,” McEnroe said in an interview with Tennis365.
McEnroe also highlighted Djokovic’s relatively favorable draw at Roland Garros, which could boost his chances of reaching the latter stages. The Serbian might face Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals—a matchup McEnroe views as advantageous, given the German’s inconsistent form.
Alexander Zverev of Germany congratulates Novak Djokovic of Serbia after the Cincinnati Open semifinal. (Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
“And he’s got the best draw of anyone to get to there. And the way… you know, Zverev’s not playing with the same confidence that he played with until he reached the finals of Australia this year,” McEnroe noted. “That really hurt him, I think, mentally, at least from what I’ve seen. And he doesn’t seem to be playing with the same confidence”.
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Because of these factors, McEnroe ranks Djokovic as his third favorite to win the French Open this year. “So I could see the possibility of him (Djokovic) getting there… whether or not Zverev was there, I don’t think Novak would go in being much of an underdog there,” he added. “And who knows with the other guys? What happens if one of them gets hurt? You don’t know. So Novak to me would still be, like, the third favorite”.
Djokovic’s French Open potential journey
The World No. 6 begins his campaign on Monday, May 26, facing American Mackenzie McDonald in the opening round. A win would set up a second-round clash with the victor of an all-French duel between Corentin Moutet and Clement Tabur.
Djokovic’s potential road to the final includes matchups against notable players like Denis Shapovalov in the third round and potentially Daniil Medvedev, Ugo Humbert, or Stan Wawrinka in later rounds.
The most challenging tests, however, could come in the quarterfinals and beyond, with a possible showdown against Zverev, followed by a semifinal clash with Jannik Sinner and a potential rematch with Carlos Alcaraz in the final—a replay of their Paris 2024 Olympic gold medal match.
