Novak Djokovic, who has won over 400 Grand Slam matches and 24 major tournament titles, celebrated his first-round victory over France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at Roland-Garros with notable enthusiasm. The third-seeded Djokovic, who defeated the unranked Perricard in four sets, celebrated with a lively dance.

The official Roland-Garros account on X shared a video showing Djokovic dancing exuberantly in a stairwell. In the video, he enthuses, “Check this out. Woo! Woo! You can’t beat that, Aryna. I challenge you.” This playful challenge was directed at Aryna Sabalenka, his friend and the world’s top-ranked women’s tennis player.

Sabalenka, who is yet to respond to Djokovic’s challenge, is expected to start her 2026 French Open campaign against unranked Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain. Although Sabalenka has won the Australian Open and US Open twice, she is still pursuing her first French Open and Wimbledon titles. She reached the final last year but was defeated by Coco Gauff.

Djokovic, with three career titles at Roland-Garros, most recently triumphed over Casper Ruud in 2023. In the upcoming second round, he is set to compete against Valentin Royer of France.

Djokovic’s joyous display at Roland-Garros may also be due to Carlos Alcaraz’s absence. Alcaraz, the reigning two-time French Open champion, is recovering from a wrist injury. Alcaraz defeated Djokovic to secure the 2026 Australian Open title, also claiming Wimbledon victories over Djokovic in 2023 and 2024.