Novak Djokovic wins his 100th career title on the eve of Roland-Garros

This isn't just another record for Novak Djokovic, who has lost count, but the passing of a new symbolic bar. On Saturday, May 24, the Serbian entered the very select circle of players with a hundred titles to his name by winning on the clay courts of Geneva (Switzerland). To join American Jimmy Connors (109) and Swiss Roger Federer (103), Novak Djokovic needed three sets and more than three hours to defeat Pole Hubert Hurkacz (5-7, 7-6, 7-6) in the final.

Winner of 24 Grand Slam titles, the world number six probably did not expect to become a centenarian in a tournament stamped ATP 250 – the fourth most prestigious category on the circuit –, but will be greatly satisfied with a new trophy, which he has been chasing since his victory at the Olympic Games in the summer of 2024 (he missed the boat in the Miami final at the end of March). If he will inevitably arrive a little more tired than usual at Roland-Garros, which he will start against the American Mackenzie McDonald, he will at least be confident.

At just 38 years old – he celebrated his birthday in Switzerland – Novak Djokovic has also regained the confidence that he can play well on the crushed brick. And that he is capable of winning tough duels. "We had to work hard. He was closer to victory than me for a long time. I hung on," explained the Serb after his victory. After losing the first set, Novak Djokovic had great difficulty dictating the game based on the serve of his opponent, one of the best servers on the circuit, and had to go through two tiebreaks to win.

If he's smiling again, Novak Djokovic probably knows how far he still has to go to win at Porte d'Auteuil, a year after leaving the tournament with an injury. Often far from his baseline against Hubert Hurkacz, he made a lot of unforced errors (38), and even lost the first set on a double fault. If he's called upon to face a big name like Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner or Alexander Zverev in Paris, he won't be able to afford this kind of error.