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Novak Djokovic stars on day three of the French Open following Rafael Nadal’s dramatic first-round defeat to Alexander Zverev on Monday.
The defeat for the 14-time champion could spell the end of his time at Roland Garros and Nadal will now decide on his plan for the summer, with Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics on the agenda.
Djokovic, meanwhile, begins his bid for a 25th grand slam and faces French wildcard Pierre-Hugues Herbert tonight.
Elsewhere, there is British interest with Katie Boulter and Dan Evans in action in what promises to be a fascinating day in Paris.
Follow all the latest tennis scores and results from Day 3 at Roland Garros below, plus the latest reaction to Nadal’s potential French Open farewell:
Result: Zheng Qinwen ends home hopes of Alize Cornet
Too much power, too much poise - victory in straight sets for Zheng Qinwen (6-2, 6-1) over Alize Cornet, dampening the spirits of the home crowd as the veteran bids farewell to Roland-Garros.
Zheng doesn’t have heaps of clay-court experience, but the Australian Open finalist has the game to go deep over the next fortnight. It will be Ashlyn Krueger or Tamar Korpatsch next up for the seventh seed.
Harry Latham-Coyle28 May 2024 12:33
Zheng edging closer to victory
It appears that Alize Cornet’s 20th French Open singles entry is likely to be a brief adventure - Zheng Qinwen is within two games of victory on Philippe-Chatrier.
Harry Latham-Coyle28 May 2024 12:26
Result: Elena Rybakina beat Greet Minnen to reach second round
On a cold and drizzly May day at Roland Garros, Kazakh fourth seed Elena Rybakina has got off the court quickly this morning after beating Belgium’s Greet Minnen 6-2 6-3, overcoming a late fightback to ease through to the second round.
Lawrence Ostlere28 May 2024 12:18
Day three order of play
A reminder of the order of play on the show-courts today. Some matches are already underway or have been completed
Court Philippe-Chatier
Latest score: Qinwen Zheng 6-2, 2-1 Alize Cornet
Felipe Meligeni Alves vs Casper Ruud
Erika Andreeva vs Aryna Sabalenka
Not before 7:15pm
Novak Djokovic vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert
Court Suzanne-Lenglen
Result: Greet Minnen 2-6, 3-6 Elena Rybakina
Latest score: Tomas Martin Etcheverry 1-3 Arthur Cazaux
Magdalena Frech vs Daria Kasatkina
Dan Evans vs Holger Rune
Court Simonne-Mathieu
Rain delay: Alex De Minaur vs Alex Michelsen
Taylor Fritz vs Federico Coria
Madison Keys vs Renata Zarazua
Victoria Azarenka vs Nadia Podoroska
Luke Baker28 May 2024 12:17
Also in action today at the French Open...
Last year’s beaten finalist Casper Ruud plays today, taking on Brazilian qualifier Felipe Meligeni Alves. The Norwegian seventh seed is fresh from his victory in Geneva where he played the semi-final and final on Saturday.
“I just find it calm, peaceful, and at a 250 it’s a smaller event, and I can focus on all the practice I want to do and also play matches at the same time,” Ruud said when he arrived in Paris.
World No 2 Aryna Sabalenka begins her quest to end Iga Swiatek’s domination at Roland Garros when she plays Russian Erika Andreeva. Sabalenka, Australian Open champion, reached the semi-finals last year, her best performance in Paris.
Fourth seed Elena Rybakina will aim to put her recent health issues behind her when she faces Belgian Greet Minnen. The Kazakh pulled out of Indian Wells and missed the Italian Open, and last year withdrew in Paris before the third round.
Lawrence Ostlere28 May 2024 11:38
World No 1’s top-ranked status at risk
Djokovic’s No 1 ranking is now under serious threat by Jannik Sinner, who ended Djokovic’s title defence in Australia at the semi-final stage, and the 37-year-old will need a significant improvement in Paris to retain his place on the throne.
Herbert knows what it takes to win at Roland Garros, but his two French Open titles have come playing doubles, where he has a career Grand Slam. As a singles player, he has yet to make it past the third round of the French Open.
The pair have just one previous meeting, which came over a decade ago. At the Paris Masters in 2013, Herbert was Djokovic’s first opponent, with the Serb winning in straight sets before going on to win the title.
Lawrence Ostlere28 May 2024 11:25
Novak Djokovic the headline name on day three at Roland Garros
Djokovic will be the main attraction at Roland Garros today when he begins his French Open title defence against Pierre-Hugues Herbert, but after last year’s domination, this year brings less expectation.
The French wildcard entry should provide the 24-time grand slam champion with little more than a decent workout before facing tougher opposition, but after losing to lucky loser Luca Nardi at Indian Wells, Djokovic won’t take him lightly.
Along with the French Open, the Serb won the Australian and US Open last year, also reaching the Wimbledon final, and began 2023 with the Adelaide title, but this year Djokovic has failed to make a single final.
His performances on clay this season have seen Djokovic exit Monte Carlo and Geneva at the semi-final stage, while in Rome he lost in the third round, but Paris is what he’s been aiming for.
“I know exactly what I need to do in grand slam environment or grand slam competition, so to say,” Djokovic told reporters. “It’s a whole different type of tournament and feel for the tournament than any other, really, tournaments that we have in the calendar.”
Lawrence Ostlere28 May 2024 11:12
Tim Henman backs Novak Djokovic at French Open
“This is a classic case of form is temporary, class is permanent,” Henman said.
“With his experience, Djokovic doesn’t need to worry about what’s gone on in the last four or five months, he can just focus on his first-round match.
“This can click for him in the space of a couple of sets. He loves the challenge of dealing with adversity, when he’s the enemy with the crowd against him. That’s when his focus, his concentration, is even greater.
“I don’t buy into any of the stats coming into this tournament. He knows what it takes better than anyone to win Grand Slams and if he can get through the first couple of matches, he’s still one of the favourites.”
Jack Rathborn28 May 2024 11:00
‘Low expectations and high hopes’ for Novak Djokovic at French Open
Novak Djokovic says he feels “embarrassed” at how low his expectations are at this year’s French Open.
The world number one, 24-time grand slam winner and defending champion has endured a turbulent build-up to Roland Garros.
He has yet to win a title all season, or even reach a final, and suffered recent defeats to Alejandro Tabilo – after being hit on the head by a spectator’s water bottle – and Tomas Machac.
Jack Rathborn28 May 2024 10:50
Emotional Rafael Nadal’s speech in full after potential French Open farewell
Rafael Nadal said he did not know if he had played his last match at the French Open but revealed appearing at the Olympic Games at Roland Garros this summer is “motivation” to continue his career after defeat to Alexander Zverev.
Jack Rathborn28 May 2024 10:40