Dubbed the 'King of Clay' for his jaw-dropping 112-4 win-loss record at the Paris major, Rafael Nadal's last Roland Garros triumph came in 2022.
Naomi Osaka produced a commanding performance to knock out third seed Coco Gauff.
The 45-year-old former striker, a 2010 World Cup semi-finalist, has switched to tennis since his retirement in 2018, playing on the international senior tour.
Djokovic, 38, is winless on clay this year after exiting the Monte Carlo Masters and Madrid Open with straight-sets losses last month, and his form is a concern heading into Roland Garros, which kicks off on Sunday.
Djokovic still undecided on next year's French Open after semi-final exit.
As for conditions, she dismissed concerns about the unpredictable spring weather in Paris.
Putting up a brave fight, India's Sumit Nagal took a set off world number seven Holger Rune before losing his rain-hit second round match of the Monte Carlo Masters, in Monte Carlo on Thursday.
India's top-ranked singles player Sumit Nagal made a first round exit from the Geneva Open after going down fighting against Argentina's Sebastian Baez.
IMAGES from the French Open played at Roland Garros, in Paris, France, on Sunday.
The French Open champion beat Gaston Gaudio 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the Mercedes Cup
The Russian said it is an open secret that Sania did not like playing on clay.
Ranked No. 361 in the world, Boisson stunned third seed Jessica Pegula in front of a roaring home crowd to book her spot in the French Open quarter-finals - and guarantee herself a minimum of $500,000 in prize money.
Nadal took to X on Monday and expressed his gratitude to his long-time rivals for their presence at the tribute.
Olympic champion Zheng powers into French Open third round
'Every time I step onto this court I'm playing for history.'
Iga Swiatek bulldozed her way to a maiden Wimbledon title on Saturday to take her Grand Slam tally to six
Poland's Iga Swiatek could become only the third woman since tennis turned professional in 1968 to win all of her first six major finals, joining Margaret Court and Monica Seles, but Swiatek is not taking the big-hitting Anisimova lightly.
'We were the best team in Asia at one point. Today, we are barely in the reckoning for the Davis Cup.' 'Players now, especially this decade, lack perseverance.'
Jannik Sinner's dazzling winning streak ground to a halt ahead of the French Open but the world number one's top-notch return from a three-month doping ban suggests he will be the main challenger to Carlos Alcaraz in Paris.
If there is one tennis player who knows how to beat the odds when they are stacked against him, it is 24-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.
The following are five contenders for the men's title at Wimbledon, which begins on Monday.
Norwegian Casper Ruud did not let a rib injury get in the way of setting up a Madrid Open final showdown with fifth seed Jack Draper as he reached the title match without dropping a set following a 6-4 7-5 win over Francisco Cerundolo on Friday.
India's top-ranked tennis player Sumit Nagal was ousted by Pedro Cachin of Argentina in the pre-quarter-finals of the Braunschweig ATP Challenger, in Braunschweig, Germany, on Wednesday.
...And Alcaraz continues hat-trick quest
Novak Djokovic notched his 99th career French Open win with a clinical 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 defeat of Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic to reach the fourth round on a memorable Saturday night in Paris.
Rafael Nadal teamed up with Norwegian Casper Ruud to register a 6-1, 6-4 win over second seeds Guido Andreozzi and Miguel Reyes-Varela on the Swedish clay.
Djokovic rolls back the years to crush Britain's Evans at Wimbledon 2025
'I really want to win': Confident Alcaraz targets rare Wimbledon three-peat
Coco Gauff ended local heroine Lois Boisson's dream run at the French Open with a ruthless 6-1, 6-2 victory on Thursday to set up a final clash with top seed Aryna Sabalenka.
Australia's Lleyton Hewitt is raring to go on Belgium's indoor clay courts in the Davis Cup tie this weekend.
The French Open is elevating its total purse at Roland Garros to about $63.7 million, an increase of 5.21 percent compared to last year.
Carlos Alcaraz will aim to reinforce his status as the new all-court monarch of men's tennis with a third successive Wimbledon title
After the win, Roddick said he was looking forward to the European claycourt season.
Nadal will team up with newly-crowned French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz to play in the doubles at the Olympics.
Teenager Andreeva shows her mettle, Pegula advances at French Open
Carlos Alcaraz fought back from the brink to outlast top seed Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2) in a French Open final for the ages on Sunday to retain his crown and cement his status as the Prince of Clay in Roland Garros' post-Rafa Nadal era.
On the anniversary of the day he first walked on to the Roland Garros court 20 years ago, Rafael Nadal returned as a hero to be celebrated by a crowd that has always embraced him as one of their own.
Sinner prepares for sleepless night after dramatic loss to Alcaraz at French Open
Top seed Jannik Sinner continued his serene French Open progress with a 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 dismantling of Russian Andrey Rublev to reach the quarter-finals in ominous fashion on Monday.
Mahesh Bhupathi is looking forward to a successful year along with the Wesley Moodie
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