Novak Djokovic Channels Inner Michael Jackson at Roland Garros to Challenge Dance Rival Aryna Sabalenka

Things have not been going well for Novak Djokovic in the heatwave as he won his first two matches at the Roland Garros in four sets. First big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard took the first set off him, and later Valentin Royer won the third set tie-breaker.

But after his first-round match, Nole re-ignited his dance battle with WTA World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian ace accepted the challenge and later trolled his dance move, advising him to move more freely. Well, Djokovic accepted the challenge and challenged his inner Michael Jackson.

Watch the video here:

Novak Djokovic humming to ‘Billie Jean’ and doing a Michael Jackson impersonation for his dance off with Aryna Sabalenka at Roland Garros

“Can’t beat that” 🕺🏻

😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/WUtAAPMZ4a

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 27, 2026

Sabalenka knocked out Jessica Bouzas Maneiro to schedule her second-round match against Elsa Jacquemot. The four-time Grand Slam champion finished as the runner-up in last year’s clay-court Major, losing to Coco Gauff.

The 28-year-old, however, did not win a clay-court title before arriving in the French capital. Hailey Baptiste defeated her in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open, while Sorana Cirstea ended her Italian Open run in the third round.

But she has already featured in four finals. She won titles in Brisbane, Indian Wells, and the Miami Open by defeating Marta Kostyuk, Elena Rybakina, and Gauff. In her fourth back-to-back Australian Open final, the Kazakh ace denied her the victory.

Novak Djokovic will face Joao Fonseca next

Jannik Sinner is out of the French Open. Juan Manuel Cerundolo clinched a five-set win over a cramping Sinner in the second round. And with his defeat as well as Carlos Alcaraz‘s absence, Novak Djokovic has the golden opportunity to win his 25th Grand Slam title.

But Djokovic is expecting a tough challenge in the third round as he will be up against Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca. The 19-year-old, after his straight-set win over Luka Pavlovic, came from two sets down to eliminate Dino Prizmic. Fonseca will be meeting the 39-year-old for the first time in his career.

Playing against Novak is a great pleasure. I always tell my coach that I want to be in Novak’s draw because I know it won’t last long. I just want to live this experience. I think I will enjoy it to the fullest. Being at Roland Garros in the third round is a dream. I will enjoy every moment playing against an idol, the greatest of all time. Hopefully, I can play a great match. Of course, when stepping onto the court, I’ll respect him, but I’ll try to give my best and win this match.

Joao Fonseca said at the press conference

Fonseca made his French Open main draw debut last year and made the third round. He has yet to play a final this year, while last year, the 2024 Next-Gen ATP Finals champion lifted the Argentina Open and the Swiss Indoors.

But Djokovic has already featured in one final this season. He did so at the Australian Open after knocking out two-time defending champion Sinner. In the final, however, he failed to go past Alcaraz.

Also, for the first time since the 2023 Australian Open, a player whose name is not Alcaraz or Sinner will emerge victorious in a Grand Slam tournament. The World No.1 and the World No.2 lifted the last nine Majors, with Djokovic being the last man other than them to win a title (2023 US Open).

Since then, the Serbian great has made two Grand Slam finals (2024 Wimbledon and this year’s Australian Open). It was Alcaraz who stopped him from winning the grass-court Major. And it was also Alcaraz who stopped him from completing the Calendar Slam in 2023 with a five-set win in the Wimbledon final.

Also read: Coco Gauff Explains Sporting Black Hair on Tour at Roland Garros