Novak Djokovic is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world. The world No.1 has been dominant in the circuit for quite some time, and to say that he has a vast fanbase is an understatement.

His most successful Grand Slam has been the Australian Open, where he has won 9 times! Even though he had to go through the entire visa-related fiasco at this year’s Australian Open, his love for the hard-courts of Melbourne is understandable from his astounding statistics. Along with the Australian Open, he also has won Wimbledon 6 times!

However, his least successful surface has been clay.

Novak Djokovic and his initial days at the French Open

It is slightly unfair to say that Novak Djokovic has been unsuccessful on clay. But given his complete dominance on other surfaces, clay courts have been the ones where he has been relatively less impressive. He has two French Open titles to his name, which by normal standards is a great achievement, but by his, is fairly ordinary.

His first-ever match at the French Open was against Robby Ginepri in 2005, and the Serb won in straight sets, in a near-clinical performance. The scoreline was 6-0, 6-0, 6-3. However, he couldn’t build on the win as he lost in the second round. In 2006, he reached the quarterfinals, but in his match against Rafael Nadal, he had to retire after losing the first two sets because of an injury.

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Why Does Novak Djokovic Eat Grass at Wimbledon Championships?

But we cannot say that he hasn’t made his mark at Roland Garros. He reached the semifinals in 2007, 2008, and 2011. His first French Open final was in 2012, where he lost to Rafael Nadal in four sets.

Djokovic at Roland Garros

The World No. 1 has played 96 matches at the French Open and has an 81-15 win-loss record. In 2014 and 2015, he reached the finals, but was beaten by Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka, respectively. It was in 2016 that the Serb finally got his hands on Musketeers’ cup for the first time at the Phillipe Chatrier when he defeated Andy Murray.

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In 2021, he again created history by becoming the first person to win the career grand slam twice in the Open Era. He defeated the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, in the semifinals and had an epic showdown in the finals against Stefanos Tsitsipas. He was two sets down against the Greek star when he turned things around, winning the next three sets and the title.

Novak Djokovic has taken part in every French Open since 2005, and his win percentage of 84 is the lowest for him in any grand slam. Guillermo Coria, Rafael Nadal, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Jurgen Melzer, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem and Marco Cecchinato have all defeated the 20-time Grand Slam champion.

This year, Djokovic started his campaign with commanding performance against Yoshihito Nishioka. His second-round match against Alex Molcan was another seamless victory, as he won in straight sets. His countless fans are hoping that despite his recent struggle with injuries, the World No. 1 will still go on to lift his 21st Grand Slam and equal his great rival, Rafael Nadal’s record.