Bidding to win a quadruple Career Grand Slam, Novak Djokovic's French Open journey begins against United States player Mackenzie McDonald on Tuesday.
The Serbian superstar finally clinched his 100th career title in Geneva on the eve of Roland Garros, and the 24-time Slam champion and contender in Paris hopes to avoid an early upset at an event where he has not lost since 2022.
Match preview
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After admittedly struggling with motivation following Rafael Nadal's retirement, Djokovic secured his elusive 100th title on the men's tour at Hubert Hurkacz's expense in Geneva, recovering from a first-set loss to win two tiebreaks for a 5-7, 7-6(2), 7-6(2) victory.
That success means that the 38-year-old Serb becomes only the third men's player since Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) to clinch a century of titles, and the 24-time Grand Slam champion seeks to carry that momentum into the second major of 2025.
Although Djokovic did not claim the title last year, his exit was due to injury and not because of defeat, as a knee problem forced the veteran to withdraw before his quarter-final contest with Casper Ruud.
Having not lost in Paris since May 2022's quarter-final loss to Nadal, the Serbian enters this year's tournament on an 11-match winning streak in completed matches in the city.
Even though this year has been devoid of significant titles, Djokovic, who begins his 21st French Open appearance with a 96-16 record, could claim his 97th victory at his American opponent's expense.
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It will be intriguing to see if McDonald poses any threat to his 38-year-old opponent's ongoing streak of wins at Roland Garros, where recent years have concluded in a trice.
With tournament-opening losses to Sebastian Korda in 2023 and Tallon Griekspoor 12 months ago, the 30-year-old has not played a second-round contest at the event since 2022, when he advanced to the third round.
Having not claimed victory at Roland Garros since defeating Nikoloz Basilashvili three years ago, McDonald is the underdog heading into this year's contest with Djokovic as he aims to secure a fifth career victory in Paris to improve a 4-6 win-loss record at the Slam.
However, the world No. 98's 4-4 record on the main tour does not bode well for his prospects of causing an upset against the greatest player of all time, who is seeking a record-extending 25th major.
Head To Head
Djokovic and McDonald will face off for the first time on the ATP Tour, with the winner taking a 1-0 lead in their head-to-head.
Victory for Djokovic will bring his total to 97 wins at Roland Garros, significantly more than his American counterpart, who has secured only four victories heading into his seventh appearance in Paris.
We say: Djokovic to win in three sets
Although Djokovic has been pushed to five sets in his previous two matches at Roland Garros, defeating Lorenzo Musetti and Francisco Cerundolo, the Serbian superstar is expected to have an easier time on court against McDonald, whose objective to claim a fifth triumph in Paris is likely to be thwarted against the French Open contender.
