Novak Djokovic continued his Roland Garros campaign on Thursday, defeating Corentin Moutet to book his place in the third round.
Djokovic secured his 100th title at the Geneva Open and is now looking to make history in Paris, as he bids to become the first tennis player in history to earn a 25th Grand Slam.
He has collected three French Open titles throughout his career, triumphing in 2016, 2021, and 2023.
To kick off his pursuit of a fourth crown, the Serb enjoyed a comfortable victory in round one, where Djokovic defeated Mackenzie McDonald in straight sets, and earned a slightly more difficult win over Moutet in the second round.
The Frenchman took a moment after the match to speak on his loss to the 38-year-old, and gave an honest opinion on his conqueror.
Corentin Moutet gives his honest opinion of Novak Djokovic
Following the match, Moutet said of Djokovic: “He is a huge champion. There are not a thousand things to say, there’s no debate. He is a huge champion, and he has extraordinary discipline.
“I think he deserves to have the career he has, but to be where he is at his age, to feel good, to be in this state at 38, he deserves it because every day he is disciplined.
“He does what he has to do. He takes care of his body. He takes care of his head. He has dedicated his life to tennis, so he fully deserves it, and there is no secret.
“It’s not magic. It’s not a miracle. It’s work. It’s discipline. And so he deserves to be where he is at his age.”
Corentin Moutet explains why Novak Djokovic is a ‘legend of the sport’
Analysing Djokovic’s game against him, Moutet continued: “He plays very deep. He returns very long. Even in my service games, I was in difficulty. He serves very well, I already knew that.
“He is more and more aggressive, he goes to the net a lot, he takes the ball early, as soon as we play it a little short, he cuts the trajectories.
“That’s why he is a legend of our sport, because as soon as we drop a little [short], he uses it. It’s interesting to play against this kind of play.
“Obviously, I went there to win. I really believed in myself. I really believed I could annoy him with my game. I had to play a little better.
“I’m a little disappointed with my performance, even if people will say it was a great performance, I am a little disappointed. I think I could have done better.
“But it’s always good to play against this kind of player because it shows my areas for improvement and the things I can do better.”
Moutet now has a head-to-head record of 0-3 against Djokovic, having lost to him twice before their Roland Garros clash.
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