Novak Djokovic winning at Roland Garros is not exactly new thing,but this match against Valentin Royer on May 27, 2026 had that slightly messy,slightly stubborn Djokovic feeling . Not smooth all way,but still he found way through .
The three-time winner of French Open and former World No.1 moved into third round after beating French player Valentin Royer at Stade Roland Garros . Scoreline was 6-3,6-2,6-7(9), 6-3,and honestly,that third set made match feel much more tense than it first looked.
Djokovic even had missed match point in third-set tie-break . And when you miss chance like that in front of home crowd supporting French player,pressure can shift very fast only . Royer clearly got energy from crowd and made him work for it.
But Djokovic being Djokovic,he did not completely lose control . Match lasted three hours and 28 minutes,which is not small thing ah,especially when he came into tournament with limited preparation after injury sustained at Indian Wells Open in March .
Before this also,his opening path was not exactly easy . He had played previous four-set match against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard,so this was another reminder that early rounds are not just warm-up anymore,even for someone like him.
Few things standing out clearly from this match:
- Djokovic has now kept 30-match winning streak against French players.
- This is his record-extending 21st entry into third round at Roland Garros.
- His next opponent could be Joao Fonseca or Dino Prizmic.
One thing which really helped him was serve and break-point sharpness . He converted six out of nine break points,and that kind of number usually tells you he was still thinking clearly even when match became annoying .
And tbh,playing on Court Philippe-Chatrier in heat,with French crowd pushing Royer,after injury issues and not much match rhythm… this was not routine win . Former World No . 1 had to absorb pressure more than dominate every minute .
Now he waits for either Brazilian 28th seed Joao Fonseca or Dino Prizmic,the Croatian player who previously defeated him in Rome . That part makes next round interesting,because Djokovic is chasing record 25th Grand Slam title,but body,heat,and these young players are not going to make it simple…
So yes,he is through,but question is how much these long,uneven matches are taking out of him already…
