The Serb wrote a message with political overtones on the Philippe-Chatrier court camera after his first round match on Monday and then explained it at a press conference.
The two big favorites in the men’s draw, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic easily won their first round match at Roland-Garros on Monday 29 May. But the Serb was especially illustrated at the exit of the court, with a message with political connotations. On the French side, Luca Van Assche and Caroline Garcia have made a success of their debut, unlike Benoît Paire, Arthur Fils, Kristina Mladenovic. Here is what to remember from this second day of the tournament.
The controversy: Djokovic takes a stand against violence in Kosovo
Easy winner of novice Aleksandar Kovacevic (6-3, 6-2, 7-6 [7-1]), Novak Djokovic celebrated his victory by signing a political message on a camera. “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia! Stop the violence”, wrote “Nole” leaving the Philippe-Chatrier court. This text, written in Serbian, is part of a context of tensions rekindled for a few days on the border between the two countries. Independent since 2008, Kosovo is recognized by many countries – including France – but not by Serbia, nor by the UN or the European Union.
By clearly displaying a message with a political connotation, Djokovic can expose himself to sanctions. The French Tennis Federation specifies in its 2023 ethics charter (article 2.5.2.) that “all players in tennis must consider it a moral duty to refuse all forms of violence and cheating. Non-exhaustively: (…) religious or political opinions“.
In a press conference, Djokovic clarified his position. “As the son of a man born in Kosovo, I feel an additional responsibility to give my support to our people and to all of Serbia”, he shouted in Serbian. Amélie Mauresmo, director of the tournament, spoke in the evening, on the program “Coté court” of France televisions on Twitch: “We are waiting to see even an exact translation, because we have several versions that come back to us. We will see, and talk to him to find out what he really meant. No rush. We will ask the things.”
The man in a hurry: Alcaraz without trembling
Another big favorite of the tournament and seeded number 1, Carlos Alcaraz has assumed his status. The young Spaniard (20) won easily on the Suzanne-Lenglen court ahead of the Italian Flavio Cobolli, out of qualifying (6-0, 6-2, 7-5). Alcaraz mastered his subject, but still took a long time to finally close the deal, in a last set that lasted more than an hour during which he received five match points. He will find Taro Daniel in the second round.
The scare: Garcia gets away with it
Seeded n ° 5 and best French chance, Caroline Garcia trembled as soon as she entered the running. On the Philippe-Chatrier court, the semi-finalist of the last US Open was heckled by the Chinese Xiyu Wang, 64th in the WTA rankings, before getting out of it (7-6 [7-4], 4-6, 6-4). In an undecided 2:38 game, Garcia was pushed to the tie-break in the first set, before giving up the second.
Undermined by Wang’s powerful shots, the Frenchwoman finally made the difference in the deciding set. Quite the opposite of Kristina Mladenovic, clearly beaten by Kayla Day (7-5, 6-1), yet from qualifications and a rank (138th) substantially similar to hers (166th).
The quasi-feat: Paire was almost there
Benoît Paire made Benoît Paire. In a short Feria-like Suzanne-Lenglen, the Avignonnais competed to the end with Cameron Norrie, yet seeded number 14, before losing in five sets (7-5, 4-6, 3- 6, 6-1, 6-4). Falling back to 149th in the ATP, Paire alternated between strokes of genius worthy of his best years and moments of hollowness, notably in a fourth set lost in 25 minutes.
On arrival, he was unable to bend this disjointed showdown, while still leading 4-2 in the last set. This eighth elimination as soon as he entered the running in his last nine Grand Slam tournaments prevents Paire from finding Lucas Pouille, another comeback, in the second round.
The New Wave: Flamboyant Van Assche, A Little Tender Son
Born a month apart, in 2004, and opponents of the 2021 Roland-Garros junior final, Luca Van Assche and Arthur Fils made their debuts in the main draw. The first impressed, offering brilliantly Marco Cecchinato (6-1, 6-1, 6-3). In less than two hours, he left an opponent who was still a semi-finalist in the tournament in 2018 unresponsive. He will find Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round, who fell … for Fils a few minutes earlier.
Two days after winning the first tournament of his career in Lyon, Arthur Fils could not get rid of the tough Spaniard, seeded No. 29. He never knew how to catch up with his completely missed first set and lost in four sets (6-1, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3).