Novak Djokovic began his campaign at the Paris “Masters 1000” with a hard-fought victory. The 39-year-old Serb defeated Valentin Vacherot 6:7(5), 7:5, 6:1 after more than two and a half hours of play.
The victory matters not only because it secured his place in the second round. Djokovic is continuing his battle to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin, having been 11th in the race before the tournament. To keep his realistic chances alive, he must reach at least the semifinals in Paris.
Vacherot showed confidence from the start. There were no breaks in the first set, which went to a tiebreak. The Monegasque tennis player capitalized on Djokovic's hesitation on serve and won the tiebreak 7:5.
Vacherot therefore took the lead in the match after already gaining confidence from winning the title in Basel. He was also the player who defeated Djokovic in the semifinal of the tournament in Shanghai in 2025.
Vacherot made a strong start to the second set as well, breaking early. Djokovic gradually steadied his game, however, broke back and leveled the score.
The Serb secured the decisive break at the end of the set, when Vacherot was serving to stay in it. Djokovic closed out the set 7:5 and sent the match into a third set.
In the deciding set, the seven-time Paris champion took control. He broke at the start, and before the end he won another game on his opponent's serve. Vacherot was unable to respond and lost the set 1:6.
With the victory, Djokovic became the oldest tennis player to win a match in the history of the Paris tournament. In the second round, he will face Australia's Rinky Hijikata. The qualifier, who is ranked 83rd in the world, reached this stage after defeating Luciano Darderi.