Greg Rusedski warns Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard to be wary of 'desperate' Novak Djokovic in French Open first round - 'You can never discount him'

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Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard must be wary of Novak Djokovic, the Frenchman's coach Greg Rusedski has warned, as the Serbian begins his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam.

'What hasn't he done in this sport' - Rusedski says Djokovic can raise his game at French Open

Video credit: TNT Sports

The 24-time major champion will get his 2026 French Open campaign underway on Sunday - live on TNT Sports and HBO Max - when he faces Perricard, who is 17 years younger.

Perricard recently teamed up with former world No. 4 Rusedski before his home major and his coach thinks that playing an out-of-form Djokovic can be advantageous.

"If he plays his game, it's a great opportunity," Rusedski told TNT Sports.

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"You want to play the bigger names earlier on. It's a tough task, but Novak...what hasn't he done in this sport? He's done everything.

"He's 39 years young and he's desperate to play well, so it's going to be a great opening match."

Djokovic has won Roland-Garros three times and has reached the quarter-final, at a minimum, every year since 2010.

However, despite reaching the Australian Open final earlier this season - proving that he can still compete at the highest level - his last Grand Slam success came at the US Open in 2023.

In the build-up to the French Open, he lost in the last 16 to British No. 1 Jack Draper before he was dumped out of the Italian Open by Dino Prizmic in the first round.

The veteran, who turned 39 on Friday, has dealt with some injury issues recently but Rusedski still believes that Djokovic can raise his game on the big stage.

"With Novak, you can never discount what he can do on a court," he said. "The greats of our game, they always find a way to raise his game.

"Especially at the beginning of tournaments. No disrespect to Rome, he would have liked a few more matches, but [Dino] Prizmic played an incredible match against him. Novak won the first set and lost the next two, but this is a different style match-up.

"Gio [Perricard] has a huge serve, he's more attacking and likes to come into the net. If you let Novak dictate from the back of the court, you're usually second best.

"We've got to get the tactics right, we've got to be aggressive and that's the key against Novak. It's a wonderful opportunity."

Rusedski is hoping he can count on the home crowd to spur his player on.

"Novak Djokovic is loved in France but Gio is French. He's the hometown boy," he told TNT Sports.

"You're hoping the crowd gets behind him from start to finish; he's going to need that energy to get the job done.

"It is going to be fascinating from many perspectives, because a lot of people will ask, 'Where's Novak's form?' and 'Can Gio step up?' It's all to play for."

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