Novak Djokovic of Serbia, chasing his 25th Grand Slam title, advanced to the third round of the men's singles at the French Open, which carries total prize money of 61.723 million euros.
Djokovic defeated Valentin Royer of France 3-1 (6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3) in the men's singles second round held at Roland Garros in Paris on Tuesday, the fourth day of the tournament.
Djokovic claimed victory after a 3-hour, 44-minute battle against Royer in hot weather that hovered above 32 degrees Celsius. Djokovic comfortably took the first and second sets but lost the third set to Royer in a tiebreaker. He sealed the win in the fourth set.
Djokovic appeared physically drained after the match, gasping for breath. He then performed his "violin serenade" celebration, drawing his racket strings as if playing a string instrument. "I hope I don't have to face any more French players until the end of the tournament," Djokovic said with a smile.
Djokovic's third-round opponent will be Joao Fonseca of Brazil. At this tournament, Djokovic is chasing the unprecedented record of 25 Grand Slam titles, which would be the most in major tournament history.
Alexander Zverev of Germany, the 2024 French Open runner-up, advanced to the third round by defeating Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic 3-0 (6-4, 6-2, 6-2). Zverev's third-round opponent will be Quentin Halys of France.
In the women's singles, an upset took place. World No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan lost to world No. 55 Yuliia Starodubtseva of Ukraine 1-2 (6-3, 1-6, 6-7). It is Rybakina's first second-round exit at a Grand Slam since the 2024 US Open.
