Despite a litany of issues heading into Roland Garros, Novak Djokovic is one of the favourites to win the French Grand Slam this year.
The star had only played one clay court match prior to Roland Garros and he seemed to be suffering from an injury at the Italian Open.
Djokovic has been boosted by the withdrawal of Carlos Alcaraz and he began the competition as the third seed, behind only Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner.
The Serbian won his first match at the French Open against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, but he did drop a set against the big serving Frenchman.
Djokovic will play Valentin Royer in the second round, but he’s been given the short straw when it comes to his scheduling at the Grand Slam.
The Serbian played a night match against Mpetshi Perricard, but he will have to play during the intense heats that have hit the French Open so far this year.
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The temperature is predicted to hit highs of 34 degrees on Wednesday, 26th May, and Djokovic could hit the court at around 4pm French time, which could be relentless for the Serbian.
It could be even earlier depending on the results of the two matches prior to his battle with Royer.
He will play after Iga Swiatek vs Sara Bejlek and Elina Svitolina’s match with Katlin Quevedo, with both matches expected to go in favour of the seeded players.
Should Swiatek and Svitolina win in straight sets, which will be expected by players of their calibre, Djokovic could be in real trouble playing during the heatwave.
Djokovic is rumoured to have an injury, so the last thing he will want is to be slogging it with Royer throughout the intense French heats.
they’re forecasting as the hottest in the entire tournament, with 34 degrees.
Alternatively, Alexander Zverev is the player who has received a lucky break, as he will play the night time match on Philippe-Chatrier on Wednesday’s order of play.
Zverev is set for a tough second round clash with Tomas Machac, so he will be delighted that he will play most of his match when the sun has gone down.
Jasmine Paolini, Rafael Jodar, and Joao Fonseca are also slated to play at the same time as Djokovic, so there could be heaps of upsets at Roland Garros in the early rounds.
Djokovic could play Fonseca in the third round if he beats Royer. Alternatively, he could be set for another clay court match with Dino Prizmic.
Prizmic stunned Djokovic at the Italian Open, so the 24-time Grand Slam champion will be more than wary of the talented Croatian star.
Casper Ruud, who suffered in the French heat in his first round match against Roman Safiullin, has been rewarded for his close upset by being given the night time match on Suzanne-Lenglen.
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