WATCH: Novak Djokovic booed by Roland Garros crowd after falling on court during his first-round match against Pierre-Hugues Herbert

As it took the Serb some time to clean himself, leaving Herbert waiting, the Philippe-Chatrier court erupted in loud boos. 

WATCH: Novak Djokovic booed by Roland Garros crowd after falling on court during his first-round match against Pierre-Hugues Herbert

Novak Djokovic (Image via Imago)

A section of the crowd at a crucial moment started booing Novak Djokovic when he slipped and fell on the ground near the net during his first-round match against home favorite Pierre-Hugues Herbert on Tuesday (May 28th).

This happened when Herbert served to keep himself in the game during the third set when Djokovic was leading 5-4. As it took the Serb some time toweling the clay, leaving Herbert waiting, the Philippe-Chatrier court erupted in loud boos. The loud jeers soon turned into cheers when the three-time French Open champion won the match.

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Djokovic is bidding to avoid the same fate as his rivals like Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, both of whom have crashed out of the first round. The 37-year-old has ended the first-round match with a scoreline of 6-4, 7-6(7-3), 6-4 to set himself a second-round clash against Roberto Carballes Baena, scheduled on May 30th. 

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It will be their third encounter, having faced in the 2019 US Open and the 2023 Australian Open. Djokovic leads the head-to-head record 2-0. 

Novak Djokovic is not getting too excited after his first-round win

Novak Djokovic arrived in Paris after a semifinal loss in the ATP 250 Geneva Open and ahead of the first round, he said he had “low expectations and high hopes” but his thoughts about his performance did not change after his win over Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Image via Imago)
The Monte-Carlo, Rome, and Geneva tournaments started really well for me. The first matches I played were great. The second matches and third matches were quite different. So I don't want to get too excited. I thought it was a good performance for me, solid. Of course, I could have done better, I think, on return games, but also credit to him for serving very well, for changing things up.
Novak Djokovic said after the match 

The three-time Roland Garros champion added that he was pleased with his mindset and that he felt he was present in the match as he stayed focused. He thinks he is moving in the right direction and did better as compared to his matches in the previous tournaments. 

Before the French Open, the Serb played in the Australian Open, Indian Wells Masters, Monte-Carlo Masters, Italian Open, and Geneva Open, losing all without reaching the finals. 

The defending champion will be losing his position in the ATP rankings if he fails to reach the final. Jannik Sinner, who is bidding to win his first Roland Garros title, will be crowned as the World No.1 for the first time from Italy. 

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