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.

Nishesh Basavareddy dismissed the expectations on paper and advanced past No. 7 seed Taylor Fritz in the first round at Roland Garros, producing a straight-sets upset across four sets: 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-7 (9), 6-1. The 21-year-old secured his first career Top 10 victory in Paris and arrived at the major as the USTA’s Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge winner.

“I think I raised my level most of the time in the bigger moments, especially my serve. So I would say that’s kind of what I was most happy about,” Basavareddy told press. “Obviously it means a lot. I haven’t had much experience on clay, so I don’t know if I was really expecting this, but I still thought I’d have a good chance today if I played well, and that’s what I did.”

Fritz, 28, highlighted one weapon that decided the match. “Typically when someone is drop shotting me too much, I kind of just tell myself, ‘okay, I need to hit the ball deeper.’ He was hitting insane drop shots, like, off balls that were landing on the baseline.

“He really cooked me with the drop shots today. I was very impressed with his feel.”

Both players had competed in Geneva the week before. Basavareddy came through qualifying in Geneva before losing his opening main-draw match to Jaume Munar. Fritz returned from a lingering knee injury in Geneva but was beaten by Alexei Popyrin in his first match there.

Of course, he’s a Top 10 player. He’s had so many great results, but I think it just makes it a little bit easier in the sense that I’m completely the underdog. There’s no, really, expectations. Basavareddy on facing Fritz

Basavareddy, currently ranked No. 148, will face the winner of the match between Alex Michelsen and Aleksandr Shevchenko. “Shevchenko is probably a little bit more clay-courter. Michelsen, I’ve known him for a long time,” commented the current world No. 148.

For Fritz, the result again shifts attention toward the grass-court swing. He follows a pattern from last year when an early French Open exit preceded titles on grass and a deep run at Wimbledon. Fritz said he already has a blueprint from 2025 and expects to follow a similar route into the grass season.