Djokovic Pushes Back on ‘Reasonably Long’ Comment After Four-Hour Roland Garros Win Over Royer

Novak Djokovic took exception to a press conference question following his second-round victory at Roland Garros on Wednesday, pushing back firmly against the suggestion that his near four-hour contest against Frenchman Valentin Royer was merely a ‘reasonably long’ affair.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion defeated Royer 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(7), 6-3 to advance to the third round, where he will face Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca in one of the most anticipated matchups of this year’s tournament.

“I don’t know if I appreciate or agree with your comment that it’s reasonably long,” Djokovic told reporters. “When you play a three-and-a-half-hour match on clay, it’s long and very tiring. At least, in my opinion.”

The 39-year-old Serbian acknowledged that the scoreline did not fully capture the demands of the encounter, pointing to two missed match points in the third set as a turning point. “Yes, it’s obviously my fault that I didn’t win in straight sets, because I missed two match points in the third set. I was too passive on those points, and he took his chances, and he got the support from the crowd that he was looking for,” Djokovic said. “Obviously, the momentum shifted, but I managed to recover in the fourth set. The score might not reflect reality. It was just a very, very tough match.”

Djokovic was generous in his assessment of Royer, a player he had not previously faced on tour. “He’s a fighter. I’d never played him before, but I’d seen some of the matches he’d played. He’s an excellent fighter, very competitive. He was incredibly fired up. You could see that from the very first point. He had a really clear idea of what he needed to do tactically.”

Describing the physical toll of the match, Djokovic noted the demanding conditions at Roland Garros. “I expended quite a bit of energy physically today, on a very hot day. Very difficult conditions,” he said. “It’s not ideal to have spent almost four hours on the court, but yes, it’s definitely a positive thing to win.”

The world number one also addressed the broader context of competing at his stage of career, dismissing any notion that victories come easily. “Clearly, the feelings on the court are different when you win a match, so it was a very important victory in conditions that weren’t easy for both players,” he said. “It was very hot and I think that Valentin deserves a big round of applause for his performance today. It was a very difficult match, a very big challenge from the start. Credit to him for winning the third set, but I feel it was my fault because I was twice a break up and attempted to serve for the match.”

Djokovic’s third-round clash with Fonseca now shapes up as one of the marquee fixtures of the fortnight at Roland Garros. The 18-year-old Fonseca has drawn widespread attention on the tour this season and represents a generational contrast to the veteran Djokovic, who is chasing a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title. Djokovic has won the French Open three times, most recently in 2023, and has reached the final on six occasions in total.