By Shrivathsa Sridhar
PARIS, May 24 (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic began his latest bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title by crossing a milestone and a tricky hurdle with a 5-7 7-5 6-1 6-4 French Open first-round victory over local hope Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on Sunday.
The Serb went past Roger Federer for the most Grand Slam men’s singles appearances, taking his tally to 82, but he was far from his dominant best early on Court Philippe Chatrier having played only one previous match on clay this season.
That rust briefly showed and Mpetshi Perricard broke for a 6-5 lead in the opening set, which he claimed with a big ace in the next game to become the first man in 17 years to take a set off Djokovic in the first round of Roland Garros.
“Congratulations to Giovanni,” Djokovic said in French. “I played him for the first time and it’s practically impossible to see where he will serve. It’s something I’ve seen maybe one or two times in my career, with Reilly Opelka or Ivo Karlovic.
“In a match like that, you have to stay focused and wait for an opportunity. It was a bit difficult, but in the end, I found my best tennis and best return game at the right moment.”
Third seed Djokovic weathered more of Mpetshi Perricard’s power from the baseline and converted his 10th break point of the second set to level the contest and the 39-year-old steadily dialled up the intensity to cruise through the third set.
Mpetshi Perricard received treatment for a wrist and arm issue and recovered an early break in the next set, but Djokovic edged in front again at 4-3 and paved the way for an opening win on his 22nd straight appearance at the Grand Slam.
Djokovic celebrated his win with a little jig and then paid tribute to his fans in the stands.
“Beautiful atmosphere, it gives me a lot of sensations on the court,” he said.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Paris; Additional reporting by Vincent Daheron; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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