Novak Djokovic has moved into the third round of the 2026 French Open after defeating world No. 74 Valentin Royer 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(7), 6-3 on Court Philippe Chatrier in Paris. The 24-time Grand Slam champion had been in control for long stretches of the second-round match, but Royer made the contest more difficult in the third set. Djokovic led by a break at 3-2 and 4-3, yet the French player fought back to force a tiebreak. Djokovic then missed a match point at 6-5 in the breaker before closing out the match in four sets.
The result followed a tougher-than-expected opening round for the Serbian, who began his Roland Garros campaign with a 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Djokovic is chasing a fourth French Open title after lifting the Coupe des Mousquetaires in 2016, 2021 and 2023. The 39-year-old’s most recent major triumph came at the 2023 US Open.
Djokovic’s progress in Paris has also affected his standing in the ATP Rankings. In the latest official ATP Rankings released on Monday, 25 May, he was world No. 4 with 4,460 points. However, his live ranking position at the start of the French Open was lower because he lost the 800 points he earned by reaching last year’s Roland Garros semifinals. That drop left him on 3,660 live points and pushed him down to ninth at the beginning of the tournament.
After winning both of his first two matches in Paris, Djokovic has earned 100 ranking points, lifting his live total to 3,760. That improvement has moved him up two places to seventh in the live ATP Rankings. He is now level on points with Daniil Medvedev and 40 points ahead of Taylor Fritz, both of whom were eliminated in the first round.
Djokovic will next face either Joao Fonseca or Dino Prizmic in the third round. The draw offers another test as he continues his pursuit of another title at Roland Garros. His long career record also remains a major talking point, with Djokovic having spent a record 428 weeks as ATP world No. 1. His latest spell at the top ended in June 2024.
After the win over Royer, former world No. 4 Greg Rusedski praised Djokovic’s resilience but suggested the veteran may need to raise his level further if he is to keep advancing. Rusedski noted that the second serve was not especially strong and said the match was a real physical test for the 39-year-old.
