Stan Wawrinka closed his long run at Roland Garros with a four-set defeat to lucky loser Jesper de Jong, going down 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. The 41-year-old’s final appearance at the clay major concluded with an on-court ceremony that acknowledged a career threaded through this event.

De Jong, who gained entry as a lucky loser after Arthur Fils withdrew, moves into the second round. Late in the match Wawrinka produced one last surge of his trademark power and created a break point when de Jong served for the match, but he was unable to convert. At one point he went to the ground as the sun towered over Court Simonne-Mathieu.

Wawrinka won his second of three major titles at Roland Garros 11 years ago and was the 2017 runner-up. With retirement scheduled to be capped later this season in Basel, he finishes his Roland Garros record with 46 match wins at the clay-court major.

After the match a ceremony on court featured congratulatory messages from Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic. Wawrinka’s speech was emotional and his voice cracked early, but he maintained his composure. He was presented a commemorative gift by Gilles Moretton, president of the French Tennis Federation, and tournament director Amélie Mauresmo.

Wawrinka made a final circuit of the court to acknowledge the packed house before exiting. The match and the tribute provided a bookend to more than two decades of appearances at the tournament, and offered a final, public farewell at the clay major where he enjoyed some of his greatest success.

A first-round match on Court 13 at Roland Garros between the world No. 65 and No. 105 rarely produces a main-room press conference. It did when Matteo Berrettini fought back to beat Marton Fucsovics 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-1, 6-2, registering his first match in Paris since 2021.

“I have a resilient mind,” said the oft-injured Italian after beating Marton Fucsovics in four sets.

Berrettini acknowledged a slow start but emphasised the value he places on the event. “It feels good to be here and talking about a win,” he said. “I didn’t start in the right way. I had to find a little bit the right mindset, I would say. I really care about this tournament in general. Every match that I’m playing, I’m trying to play my best. … Sometimes this sport can be brutal, but I think I finished the match better than the way I started, which is a good sign. So I’m really excited for what’s next.”

Injuries and illness have interrupted the Italian’s career since he reached a career-high ranking of world No. 6 in 2022. Those issues contributed to repeated withdrawals from the clay major, and last year he “ran out of time” to recover after suffering an oblique injury in Rome.

Since his run to the Wimbledon final five years ago, Berrettini missed eight of the subsequent 18 Grand Slam events, including this season’s Australian Open. Still, he pointed to moments of high-level play this spring and to his motivation to continue competing. “When injuries are coming, you’re always negative, and you don’t want to stop, and you are thinking about I could have done this, I could have done that, but at the same time, I’m looking at myself in the mirror right now, and I so proud of my career and what I’ve achieved,” he said.

He reflected on the trade-offs of his game and his mindset. “It’s kind of like part of who I am. If I have a big serve, big forehand, I also have this issue. I also have a resilient mind, and I always work hard to come back and … I just like to compete. I like to put myself in situations where most of the people would struggle a little bit and the tough forgets, the more I’m there. I’m just a little bit psycho, I think.”

“Again, that’s what I like to do in the next years that I’m playing. I like to compete. I like to have fun with it. I like to win as many matches as possible.”

Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam champion, presented a custom oversized warm-up jacket at Roland Garros to mark his 22nd main-draw appearance in Paris. The piece carries a wolf motif, a personal symbol Djokovic first described five years ago at Wimbledon when he recalled a childhood interaction with the animal and said that he draws energy from it when the going gets tough on court. The wolf is also the national animal of Serbia.

The jacket was created by Pelagia Kolotouros, the creative director of Djokovic’s apparel sponsor, Lacoste, as a tribute to his record-tying 22nd Roland Garros appearance. The design draws on the tones and textures of the clay surface, includes real clay detailing and features a large wolf figure down the back. The motif has been part of Djokovic’s tennis life since his Wimbledon remarks, and his wife Jelena once wore a T-shirt showing Djokovic’s face on a wolf’s body.

On Sunday night in Paris, Djokovic required the kind of craft associated with the wolf to overcome Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the opening round, winning in four sets. Playing only his second match of the clay season, Djokovic failed to break Perricard’s serve for almost the entirety of two full sets before converting his 10th opportunity in the second set en route to a 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 victory.

After the match Djokovic said he was “very honored” to wear the piece as he detailed the “little bit of inspiration” behind it, and told reporters that the test was “just what the doctor ordered.” The jacket and the win together underscored the personal symbolism Djokovic has woven into his apparel and preparation at Roland Garros this year.