Djokovic surpasses Federer to set a Grand Slam record.

Novak Djokovic defeated Valentin Royer in four sets at Roland Garros, surpassing Roger Federer to set a new record for appearances in a Grand Slam tournament.

Highlights of Novak Djokovic 3-1 Valentin Royer (source: Tennis TV)

Novak Djokovic continued to make a special mark at Roland Garros 2026 by defeating Valentin Royer 3-1, thus advancing to the third round.

This victory not only helped the Serbian player advance in the clay-court Grand Slam, but also allowed him to surpass Roger Federer to set a new record.

Djokovic celebrates with his familiar violin-playing gesture - Photo: Roland Garros

Specifically, Djokovic has played his 120th match at Roland Garros, surpassing Federer's previous record at Wimbledon, where the Swiss legend had 119 appearances.

In 120 matches in Paris, Nole has won 103, lost 17, and claimed the title three times in 2016, 2021, and 2023. For a player who just turned 39 on May 22nd, this milestone is even more remarkable.

Against Royer, Djokovic didn't have an easy start. The Frenchman played confidently in the first five games of the first set, but the turning point came in game 6 when Nole capitalized on his opponent's mistake to secure a break. He closed out the opening set with a 6-3 victory.

Nole surpasses Roger Federer to set a new record with 120 appearances at a Grand Slam tournament - Photo: Roland Garros

In the second set, Novak Djokovic broke Royer's first service game early on. This advantage allowed the former world number one to completely control the match before winning quickly 6-2.

Set 3 saw Djokovic showing signs of fatigue. Royer rallied strongly, forcing the set into a tie-break and ultimately winning 9-7, despite having been down 0-3 at one point.

However, that slip-up helped Djokovic wake up. He secured a break in game 4 of set 4, maintained his advantage until the end of the match, and won 6-3, closing out the match with scores of 6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/djokovic-vuot-federer-lap-ky-luc-tai-grand-slam-2519828.html