Djokovic survives Vacherot scare to reach Paris Masters second round

Novak Djokovic needed almost two and a half hours to see off Valentin Vacherot in the first round of the Paris Masters on Tuesday, losing the opening set before rallying to win 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-1.

The tenth seed is chasing a 103rd career title, which would draw him level with Roger Federer in second place on the all-time list behind Jimmy Connors, who leads the Open era on 109, according to Yahoo Sports.

Vacherot arrived in form, having lifted the Swiss Indoors in Basel only two days earlier and having already beaten Djokovic once this year, in the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters.

The Monegasque's serve caused persistent problems, with the world No 27 landing 14 aces in the first set alone and regularly topping 135mph, per Tennis365.

Djokovic edged ahead with a mini-break in the opening-set tie-break but could not hold on, and Vacherot closed it out 7-6 (5) after 50 minutes.

One passage of play stood out from the contest, with Sky Sports Tennis highlighting a 35-shot rally between the two men as a contender for the best point of the tournament.

The second set brought twists on both sides of the net. Vacherot broke early, prompting Djokovic to call a medical timeout at 2-1 down for treatment on his right shoulder.

Djokovic hit back to level and then edged in front at 3-2, only for Vacherot to pause the action himself at 4-3 down to have his left ankle and foot strapped.

Serving at 4-4, Djokovic fended off three break points that would have handed Vacherot the chance to serve for the match, before breaking to move ahead and eventually taking the set 7-5.

The momentum carried into the decider, where Djokovic broke immediately and powered through to a 6-1 set, sealing victory on his second match point with a two-handed backhand winner struck down the line.

Reflecting on the conditions afterwards, Djokovic said Vacherot's serve had posed a particular challenge indoors. "His second serves are faster than my first serves, so it's very tough to play a guy in these conditions, which are really, really fast," he said. "Last year was very slow, this year is like ice."

Djokovic had previously pushed back on suggestions that age and declining physical sharpness were catching up with him, and did so again after the win. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "For an old guy, not so bad!"

Both players required mid-match treatment, Djokovic for his shoulder and Vacherot for his ankle, though neither issue proved decisive in the eventual outcome.

The victory keeps Djokovic in contention for a place at the ATP Finals in London from 15-22 November, though Yahoo Sports notes he sits 11th in the qualification race and is regarded as an outsider, with only an ATP250 event in Stockholm left to play after Paris.

Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and third seed Ben Shelton have already secured their places at the season finale. Shelton, bidding for a 42nd win of the season to match his career best, has added Juan Carlos Ferrero, formerly Alcaraz's coach, to his team for 2027 and was due to play fellow left-hander Cameron Norrie later on Tuesday.

Elsewhere in the first round, French teenager Moïse Kouame lost 6-3, 6-1 to Nuno Borges, while 2022 champion Holger Rune was beaten 7-5, 6-4 by 12th seed Tommy Paul.

Djokovic will learn his second-round opponent as the draw progresses, with his run in Paris now central to whatever slim hopes remain of a late push for a Finals berth.