Novak Djokovic turned 39 last week and, having reached at least the semi-finals in each of the past five majors, has received a boost in his quest for an elusive standalone record 25th Grand Slam.
The third seed is the only man left who knows what it takes to win a major and will be drawing on all that vast experience.
A man of his age has obvious physical limitations and Djokovic has also struggled in the heat over the years.
Playing in Friday’s Chatrier day session against exciting Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca, with temperatures set to reach 34C, will be a litmus test.
If Djokovic gets past Fonseca, he will feel he has the capacity to build through the tournament.
The temperatures dropping and remaining cooler next week will also benefit him.
When the conditions favour Djokovic, he has continued to defy the ageing process – a point illustrated when he beat Sinner in this year’s Australian Open semi-finals.
Djokovic lost to Alcaraz in the final in Melbourne, again missing out on a first Grand Slam title since the 2023 US Open. Last year, either Alcaraz or Sinner stopped Djokovic from reaching a major final each time.
With both now out of his way, there are precious few players left in the draw who have the experience of beating the Serb great in a Grand Slam setting.
