Former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and American tennis star Aleksander Kovacevic are set to meet on the clay court at the first round of the 2023 French Open on Sunday.
Currently ranked No. 3, the 35-year-old Serbian has had a slow start at clay court tournaments. Djokovic lost in the first round in Monte Carlo and then lost to fellow countryman Dusan Lajovic in the quarterfinals of the Banja Luka tournament before withdrawing with an injury and missing the Madrid tournament.
Djokovic made a comeback in Rome but was knocked out of the tournament by eventual runner-up Holger Rune in the quarterfinals. On the other hand, Djokovic has an 85-16 record at Roland Garros, where he has reached at least the quarterfinals in 13 consecutive appearances and won the title twice.
1st Round : Novak Djokovic 🇷🇸 vs. Aleksandar Kovacevic 🇺🇸
Idemooo ! Nole 💪💪❤️😊 pic.twitter.com/IA8mdLGhb9
— Wipa Takong (@TakongWipa) May 26, 2023
On the other hand, No. 114 Kovacevic will be making his Roland Garros debut against Djokovic, who is sure to provide him with fierce competition. In five matches this year, Kovacevic has only managed one victory, and that came two months ago in the first round of Miami. Kovacevic has lost in the first round of three consecutive Challenger tournaments: Cagliari, Turin, and Rome.
Bit of a @lleytonhewitt "C'mon" here 🧢💪#ATPChallenger | @aztennisclassic | @kova_aleks pic.twitter.com/6yIPJLniER
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) March 17, 2023
Match Information
Tournament: The French Open
Round: Round of 128
Date: Sunday, May 28
TV Channel: Tennis Channel
Venue: Stade Roland Garros
Location: Paris, France
Court Surface: Clay
With Rafael Nadal’s absence, Novak Djokovic can shine
This is Novak Djokovic’s time to shine at the French Open, with Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal absent. Ever since Roger Federer’s retirement, Rafael Nadal has really been the only one to put up a subsequent challenge to the former world No. 1.
Nadal has been a dominant performer at the French Open, winning 14 titles in total. He even won five titles between 2017 and 2022, which is an astonishing feat. Nadal also holds the record for most consecutive French Open titles, winning the tournament from 2010 to 2014.
Surely, with the absence of such a huge threat, Novak Djokovic will do his best to grasp into the chance and win the whole tournament.
