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Paris Masters: Djokovic survives Vacherot scare in Bercy return

Novak Djokovic won his first-round match against Valentin Vacherot at the Rolex Paris Masters in Nanterre.

By , Editor

· 2 min read

Valentin Vacherot
Valentin Vacherot (file photo) Photo: Skyscraper2010 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Novak Djokovic recovered from losing the first set to beat Valentin Vacherot 6-7, 7-5, 6-1 at the Rolex Paris Masters on 3 November 2026. The win made him the oldest player to win a match at the tournament at 39 years and 164 days.

Key takeaways

  • Novak Djokovic defeated Valentin Vacherot 6-7, 7-5, 6-1 at the Rolex Paris Masters.
  • The match took place on 3 November 2026 at La Défense Arena in Nanterre.
  • Vacherot won the first-set tiebreak 7-5 after holding three set points at 6-5 on return.
  • Djokovic broke Vacherot while serving at 6-5 in the second set to level the match.
  • Djokovic won the deciding set 6-1 as Vacherot faded physically.

Novak Djokovic made his return to the Rolex Paris Masters on Tuesday, having not played there since his 2023 title run. The Serbian faced Valentin Vacherot in the first round of the ATP Masters 1000 event at La Défense Arena in Nanterre on 3 November 2026. Djokovic dropped the first set before turning the match around in a hard-fought battle.

Match details

The first set was extremely close and was decided in a tiebreak, despite three set points for Vacherot on return at 6-5. The tiebreak was scrappy and ultimately went Vacherot's way, which he won seven points to five. Carrying that momentum, he broke Djokovic right away.

But he eventually cracked in the fourth game, after letting a Djokovic ball go that he had judged to be out. While serving at 6-5 to stay in the set, Vacherot saw the Serb break and level the match at one set apiece.

The deciding set offered no suspense. The Monegasque faded physically, piled up errors, and ultimately fell 6-7, 7-5, 6-1.

Tournament context

The Paris Masters, known as the Rolex Paris Masters for sponsorship reasons, is an annual indoor tennis tournament for male professional players held in Nanterre, France, a western suburb of Paris, at La Défense Arena, and is held in early November.

It is part of the ATP Masters 1000 events on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. The 2026 Rolex Paris Masters is a professional men's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts.

It is the 54th edition of this ATP Masters 1000 event on the 2026 ATP Tour. It takes place from 2 November to 8 November 2026 at La Défense Arena in Nanterre.

Records and next round

With this victory, Djokovic becomes the oldest player to win a match at this tournament at 39 years and 164 days. Djokovic will face Rinky Hijikata in the next round.

Previous results

Djokovic had not played at the Paris Masters since his 2023 title run. Jannik Sinner defeated Félix Auger-Aliassime in the 2025 Paris Masters final, 6-4, 7-6(7-4) to win the singles title. It was his fifth ATP Masters 1000 title and 23rd ATP Tour title overall.

Sinner did not lose a set en route to the title, and dropped only 29 games, the fewest since the event switched to hardcourts in 2007. Sinner regained the world No.

1 singles ranking by winning the title; Carlos Alcaraz was also in contention at the beginning of the tournament.

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