Britain’s Cameron Norrie says he is not distracted by the looming prospect of facing top seed Carlos Alcaraz as he tries to reach the French Open fourth round for the first time.
American Jessica Pegula, seeded third in the French Open singles, is the latest leading WTA Tour player to feature in a BBC Sport column.
Editor’s note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es.
Novak Djokovic will take to court at Roland Garros on Friday knowing that his opponent won their last match.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina beat the Serbian in Monte-Carlo in April last year in an intense three-set clash. The two players meet again on Friday in Paris as they both chase a place in the third round of the season’s second Grand Slam.
“It’s completely different to Monte-Carlo,” said the World No. 34 Davidovich Fokina. “Here it’s five sets, and there he’d hardly played any matches… We all know what Djokovic is like. He’s a legend. Playing against him will be an honour, as will returning to [Court] Philippe-Chatrier.
“I’m going to be ready. I’m playing at a good level, I’ve been very relaxed for two matches, competing at a high level. I can’t wait to keep doing that for another match.”
“It was a strange match at the start of the clay season, when I tend to be a long way from my best,” concurred the two-time Roland Garros champion Djokovic when asked about his memories of his defeat in Monaco. “[Davidovich Fokina] is a specialist on the surface, a player who has progressed a lot in recent years, and he’s defeated several good players this season, including [Holger] Rune in Madrid.
“He’s a complete player and he’s capable of playing at a very high level, definitely one of the toughest opponents you could meet in the third round. I know that he will prepare well with the intention of winning, but I believe in myself.”
The 23-year-old Davidovich Fokina is about to face one of the biggest challenges in the game: beating Djokovic in a Grand Slam. However, it seems to be one he is relishing. His words ooze confidence and he has a clear plan that he thinks can carry him to victory.
“I know Djokovic pretty well, I’ve also watched him a lot on TV,” said Davidovich Fokina. “We’ve practised a couple of times in Marbella, and I get on well with his team. Of course, he’s quite intimidating, but when you play against him several times you see that he is another player who can be beaten. You can’t be afraid, you have to take it to him.”
Davidovich Fokina reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros in 2021, when he bowed out to Alexander Zverev. Djokovic is bidding for his third title in Paris, and if he is successful he will set a new record for Grand Slam titles (23), surpassing Rafael Nadal (22). Despite his Monte-Carlo defeat to Davidovich Fokina, Djokovic leads 2-1 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek and Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina underline why they are among the French Open favourites with convincing wins.
Casper Ruud continues to build early momentum at Roland Garros.
The fourth seed overcame a spirited second-round challenge from Giulio Zeppieri on Thursday at the clay-court major, where he downed the Italian qualifier 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Ruud delivered a high-class all-around display for much of the three-hour, four-minute encounter, although Zeppieri deployed his gritty lefty game to good effect to gain a foothold in the match and clinch the third set. The Norwegian’s consistently deep groundstrokes proved decisive to his victory as he converted five of 13 break points overall to reach the Roland Garros third round for the fifth year in a row.
“It was a tough match,” said Ruud in his on-court interview. “I started well, got a break early and served well myself. That’s the beauty of best-of-five sets. In a normal match I would have won 6-3, 6-2, but here you have the chance to fight like he did. He played much better in the third set and the fourth set, and it became very tough.
“In the end there also, I served for the match, and he played well, and it gets pretty physical out here. So, I’m very happy to come through and not having to play a fifth set was nice today. I have extra time to recover for my next match.”
After a stellar 2022 in which he lifted three ATP Tour trophies, reached the championship match at Roland Garros and the US Open, and reached a career-high No. 2 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Ruud has struggled for consistency this season. The Norwegian claimed his 10th tour-level crown in Estoril in April but has also suffered some surprise early exits.
A semi-final run last month at the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome suggested Ruud was regaining his confidence on the biggest stage, however, and his impressive start to Roland Garros will increase belief that he can forge another deep run in Paris. Although the conditions have been warmer than during his standout run last year, the 24-year-old showcased his ability to adjust with a largely rock-solid showing against Zeppieri in which he made just 28 unforced errors to his opponent’s 51.
“So far quite good, but still many matches to play in the tournament,” said Ruud. “I’m just happy to be here, happy to win my first two matches… These are perfect playing conditions if you ask me. Twenty-four or 25 degrees, sunny, beautiful Paris. There’s a lot of things to enjoy on this court and in this tournament.”
The No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Ruud now holds a 14-5 record at Roland Garros, where he reached the championship match in 2022. The 24-year-old continues his latest campaign in the French capital with a third-round clash against China’s Zhang Zhizhen or Argentine qualifier Thiago Agustin Tirante.
Jamie Murray and Michael Venus produce an impressive second-set fightback to reach the French Open third round in the men’s doubles.
“Who were you thinking of?”
That question was asked of Genaro Alberto Olivieri, the No. 231 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, after he earned his first tour-level win on Tuesday at Roland Garros. It was also his first victory in a major, which he earned by beating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 7-6 (3), 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.
The answer to the question was both clear and touching, but also painful.
“My father, who died during the pandemic,” answered the Argentine. “He was my sidekick, the person who helped me in every way — psychologically, emotionally… Then he started to learn a little more about tennis and he would even help me with that. I always remember him. I hope he is now watching everything that is happening to me this week and that he has an even bigger smile than I do.”
In February 2021, while the COVID-19 pandemic was still in full force around the world, Olivieri travelled to Turkey, where he shared a room with current World No. 64 Pedro Cachín. Before returning to Barcelona, Cachín tested positive and both players and their teams had to isolate until they tested negative.
The tragic news came when he went home, two days before his return, everyone in his house got sick. Olivieri’s parents ended up in hospital. His mother recovered without any issues, but his father’s condition worsened and he was transferred to Buenos Aires. He passed away on 7 April, just when Olivieri arrived to say goodbye.
“After that, I stopped playing tennis,” remembered the Argentine. “I didn’t pick a racquet up for three months. I helped at home, and at an accounting firm. I wasn’t motivated to play.
“After the third month, I started to miss it. I wanted to try again for a while. When I stepped onto court I had a fire that gave me strength in tough matches.”
Olivieri explained how his family helped him through that time emotionally.
“They believed in me,” Olivieri said. “They have been my sponsors my whole life. And when my father passed away, my mother said she would support me, that I should keep going and continue to play tennis.”
At 24 years of age, Olivieri arrived in Paris without having played in a tour-level main draw. He came through qualifying and managed to win his first match. The next challenge for the Argentine will be Italian player Andrea Vavassori, who came back from two sets down to beat Miomir Kecmanovic 5-7, 2-6, 7-6(8), 7-6(3), 7-6(9).
“This is amazing to me,” Olivieri said. “There’s no explanation. I’m so happy, and the important thing is to keep concentrating and focusing because this is still not over. I have dreamt of this so many times, of being here and winning a match. I don’t want to wake up.”
Editor’s note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es
The Roland Garros second-round action draws to a close on Thursday as top names seek to continue their progress in Paris. Top 10 stars Jannik Sinner and Casper Ruud and two-time semi-finalist Alexander Zverev, who all enjoyed straight-sets opening wins, are among those in action in the bottom half of the singles draw.
ATPTour.com previews some of the second-round matchups to watch on the Day 5 schedule in Paris.
Sinner and Altmaier’s only previous ATP Head2Head meeting was a five-set thriller at the 2022 US Open. It was Sinner who prevailed on the hard courts of New York, and the eighth-seeded Italian with the big-hitting baseline game will feel confident of backing up that victory after he cruised past Alexandre Muller for the loss of just six games in the first round in Paris on Tuesday.
The World No. 79 Altmaier has his own reason to be confident, however. He reached his maiden ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final in Madrid in April and has pedigree at Roland Garros, where he reached the fourth round as a qualifier in 2020. Can the German rouse his best level to spring a big upset on Court Suzanne-Lenglen?
After an up-and-down season, Ruud appeared back to his best in his first-round rout of Elias Ymer in Paris. The 2022 finalist broke Ymer’s serve eight times in that clash, and he will look to use his booming forehand in particular to pile similar pressure on to the 21-year-old Giulio Zeppieri’s delivery on Thursday.
After coming through qualifying, Zeppieri beat Alexander Bublik for his maiden main draw win at a major to set his clash with Ruud. In tune with the conditions and chasing a fifth win in a row at Roland Garros, the Italian lefty will be full of confidence as he prepares for just his second meeting against a Top 10 opponent.
Zverev chases a third-round spot for the seventh time in eight years when he meets Alex Molcan on Court Simonne-Mathieu. The German came through a big-serving battle against Lloyd Harris in his opening round, his first match at Roland Garros since he was forced to retire after rolling his ankle in his 2022 semi-final against Rafael Nadal.
It will be a maiden ATP Head2Head meeting between the 25-year-old Zverev and Molcan, who is bidding to reach the third round for the first time. The Slovakian is a particularly difficult challenge on clay, having reached three tour-level finals on the surface, and his high-class movement will ensure Zverev has to stay focused throughout if he wants to improve his 24-7 record at the clay-court major.
Before Zverev and Molcan take to Court Simonne-Mathieu, the 12th seed Frances Tiafoe will be in action against the in-form Aslan Karatsev. Tiafoe’s countryman, the 16th seed Tommy Paul, takes on Chilean Nicolas Jarry, who has lifted ATP 250 titles on clay already this year in Santiago and Geneva.
After Gael Monfils’ withdrawal from his second-round match against Holger Rune due to a left wrist injury, Arthur Rinderknech is the only home favourite left in the singles draw in Paris, where he takes on ninth seed Taylor Fritz. Grigor Dimitrov meets Emil Ruusuvuori while Australian Open quarter-finalist Jiri Lehecka faces Marcos Giron.
Novak Djokovic has stood by the political message he wrote on a camera lens about Kosovo, saying it is an issue he “stands for”.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek says she is not concerned by records as she continues her bid for a third French Open win in four years.