Novak Djokovic has revealed the chief of security at the French Open held discussions about keeping players on site on Saturday night instead of allowing them to return to their hotel. The Serbian had been in action against Filip Misolic on Court Philippe Chatrier as he swept to a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory against the Austrian.
Djokovic went into the French Open off the back of a miserable run of results in 2025 after he had lost his opening match at the Qatar Open in February before suffering the same fate at Indian Wells the following month and at the Monte-Carlo Open and the Madrid Open in April. He did return to form by winning the Geneva Open in May, however, and has cruised through his first three matches on the Paris clay.
Djokovic joined Tim Henman and Laura Robson on TNT Sports to discuss his performances in France on Sunday afternoon.
And he explained to the former tennis stars that there had been concerns over players returning to their hotel because Paris Saint-Germain had just won the Champions League for the first time in their history after defeating Inter Milan in the final and there was chaos on the streets of Paris as fans celebrated.
“There was quite a debate in the locker room with the chief of security whether we should go to the hotel,” Djokovic explained.
“At one point, they were discussing whether we should stay in one of the rooms somewhere around Roland Garros, because where we are staying is quite close to the Arc de Triomphe.
“It was quite a scene yesterday and there was a lot of troubles on the streets. We barely made it to the hotel around 1am. It was quite an adventure I must say. Obviously it is a big thing for Paris.”
PSG thrashed Inter 5-0 in the Champions League showpiece match, which was played at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
The French side were 2-0 ahead by the midway point of the first half after Achraf Hakimi and Desire Doue got their names on the scoresheet.
And the contest was all but over with 30 minutes remaining after Doue struck for a second time.
January signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia then notched a fourth goal after 73 minutes as PSG turned on the style in Germany. Senny Mayulu eventually put the icing on the cake with a fifth goal four minutes before the end.
There were some ugly scenes on the steets of Paris in the aftermath of the match, with at least one person losing their life and police making 491 arrests.
Djokovic is the third favourite to win the Roland Garros title after clinching silverware for the third time in 2023. He returns to action on Monday afternoon when he takes on British star Cam Norrie in the fourth round.
