Novak Djokovic is still waiting to win that elusive 25th major title, which would be an all-time tennis record. After capturing his 100th tour-level title in Geneva, a French Open championship looks more likely than it did just a few months ago.
Djokovic had a tough start to 2025. At the Australian Open, Djokovic retired from his semifinal match against Alexander Zverev due to injury. He took about a month break after the year’s first major and then returned to lose first-round matches at Doha and Indian Wells. The start of the clay season wasn’t much better for Djokovic, losing consecutive first-round matches at Monte Carlo and the Madrid Open before withdrawing from the Italian Open. He turned things around just before Roland Garros, winning the Geneva Open title, defeating Hubert Hurkacz in the final to do so.
His first-round loss at Doha to Matteo Berrettini ended an eight-year streak of Djokovic not losing in the first round at any ATP Tour event. He had only suffered 13 first round losses in his career dating back to 2004. This year, he’s had four first round losses, the most in a given year in his career.
When looking ahead at Djokovic’s run at the 2025 French Open, it’s important to note that clay is Djokovic’s worst surface (if you had to name one). Out of his 24 major titles, he’s won the least at the French Open with three. Out of his 100 total ATP titles, 17 of those have come on clay. These numbers are obviously impressive, but in comparison to the rest of Djokovic’s legendary career, clay is the surface he’s had the least success on.
Djokovic enters Paris with a bit of momentum, ending a title drought with his win in Geneva. In 2024, the only title (or medal) he won was at the Paris Olympics, which happened to be played at Roland Garros. On the ATP Tour, though, the last tournament he won before Geneva was the 2023 ATP Finals, capping off an incredible season, in which he won three majors—the Australian Open, French Open and U.S. Open.
Since then, Djokovic has been plagued by injury struggles. At the 2024 French Open, Djokovic withdrew from his quarterfinals match after he tore his medial meniscus in his right knee. He underwent surgery before Wimbledon, and somehow miraculously reached the Wimbledon final just a month later.
The French Open wasn’t the only tournament Djokovic withdrew from last year. He dropped out of the ATP Finals in November because of an ongoing undisclosed injury.
Time is another factor for Djokovic to consider. He just turned 38, making him the second oldest active men’s tennis player behind Gaël Monfils. Djokovic’s fellow Big Three members, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, retired at age 41 and 38, respectively.
Djokovic’s most notable contenders at the French Open this year are over a decade younger than him. As the No. 6 seed, Djokovic was placed in the same quarter as No. 3 Alexander Zverev (age 28) and the same half as No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz (age 22), the reigning champion. If he can beat both of these players, he could possibly face No. 1 Jannik Sinner (age 23) in the final. It wouldn’t be an easy road to the final, but it’s nothing that Djokovic couldn’t handle as he’s emerged victorious from impossible-looking situations dozens of times before.
While the odds may be stacked against Djokovic winning his 25th major at Roland Garros this year, you can never fully count him out. Sure, he’s had his fair share of struggles in the past year, but Djokovic is a master at pulling out wins when his back is against the wall. We’ll see if he can once again pull off some magic in Paris and make history at the French Open.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Novak Djokovic Looks to Make History at Roland Garros.