By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Saturday, Could 25, 2025
Picture credit score: Lacoste
Slashing an ace on championship level, Novak Djokovic joined the Century Membership in stirring fashion as we speak.
Two days after celebrating his thirty eighth birthday, Djokovic captured his one hundredth profession championship with a stirring 5-7, 7-6(2), 7-6(2) over Hubert Hurkacz within the Geneva Open last. Djokovic joins fellow icons Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) because the third man in Open Period historical past to gather 100 profession Tour-level titles.
Search for Djokovic to maintain the occasion pumping in Paris, says Corridor of Famer John McEnroe.
Persevering with his quest for a record-extending twenty fifth Grand Slam crown, Djokovic faces a demanding draw at Roland Garros.
If seeds maintain true to type, Djokovic would wish to beat 2024 finalist and third seed Alexander Zverev within the quarterfinals, world No. 1 Jannik Sinner within the semifinals and No. 2-seeded reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz to win his third Roland Garros title within the final 5 years.
Former world No. 1 in singles and doubles McEnroe says Djokovic is the third agency favourite to win this 2025 French Open last behind solely the top-seeded Sinner and four-time main champion Alcaraz.
In a TNT Zoom name with the media on Friday to advertise the community’s Roland Garros protection, McEnroe cited 4 components for Djokovic as third favourite to win Roland Garros:
*The Serbian celebrity owns a 96-16 Roland Garros file, together with a streak of 15 straight years the place he is reached quarterfinals or higher and he has the very best draw of any of the highest seeds, says McEnroe.
*If Djokovic advances to the quarterfinals he might face Zverev. McEnroe says he favors the reigning Olympic gold-medal champion over the previous gold-medal champion if that match comes off.
*Although Alcaraz is 15-1 in clay this season, Djokovic defeated Alcaraz of their final clay-court conflict within the gold-medal match on Roland Garros’ crimson clay, the Serbian beat the Spaniard of their final main assembly on the Australian Open and he is one in all solely two males to defeat the reigning champion on crimson clay within the final 12 months.
*That is Djokovic’s twenty first consecutive French Open look and McEnroe says you can’t low cost the Grand Slam king’s potential to conjure yet one more magical run in Paris.
“You don’t rely him out till the day [he] retires,” McEnroe mentioned of Djokovic. “He’s obtained the very best draw of anybody to get to there [quarterfinals].
“And the best way Zverev is enjoying—Zverev isn’t enjoying with the identical confidence till he reached the finals of Australia this 12 months. That [loss to Sinner in the AO final] actually damage him mentally—no less than from what I’ve seen. And he doesn’t appear to be enjoying with the identical confidence.
“So I can see the opportunity of [Novak] getting there. And whether or not or not Zverev was there, I don’t assume Novak would go in being a lot of an underdog.
TNT Sports activities, the unique house of dwell Roland-Garros protection within the U.S., mentioned it plans to “present probably the most complete protection within the historical past of the Parisian Grand Slam.”
McEnroe, Jim Courier and Caroline Wozniacki will probably be among the many community’s prime analysts with Andre Agassi and Venus Williams additionally set to contribute to protection.
All of it begins Sunday, Could 25, at 5 a.m. ET on TNT, truTV and Max. TNT Sports activities will ship almost 300 hours of programming throughout TNT and truTV — all originating dwell from Paris — together with unprecedented streaming protection on Max and intensive unique content material accessible through Bleacher Report and Home of Highlights.
Lengthy-time New York Knickerbockers season ticket holder McEnroe, who was courtside at Madison Sq. Backyard on Friday night time to see his beloved Knicks fall into an 0-2 gap in opposition to the Indiana Pacers, used a basketball analogy to amplify Djokovic’s probabilities in Paris.
“And who is aware of with the opposite guys? What occurs if one in all them [Sinner or Alcaraz] will get damage?” McEnroe mentioned. “And I hate to see any athlete get damage, however [Celtics star] Jayson Tatum went down you by no means need to see that, however that definitely made it simpler for the Knicks to drag out recreation six.
“So Novak, to me, would nonetheless be just like the third favourite [to win Roland Garros].”
The mercurial McEnroe who shaped one half of the celebrity Fireplace & Ice rivalry vs. Iceman and fellow Corridor of Famer Bjorn Borg, suggests the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry will proceed to command the game as long as each younger superstars stay wholesome.
“They may proceed to dominate if they can keep wholesome and I hope they do, clearly all of us do,” McEnroe mentioned. “I assumed Ben Shelton would have the ability to step as much as [fill] a void… He appears to have leveled off, not sufficient steps ahead.
“it will be good for us right here clearly if we have been in a position to get an American male [to win a Grand Slam title], which has not occurred in 20 years. I might assume [Rome semifinalist] Tommy Paul would most likely have the very best shot [of American men] on this floor.”
