Djokovic at Paris Masters: Pioline Says It May Be His Last
Tournament director Cedric Pioline notes that Novak Djokovic is 39, Vacherot plays the Basel final today, and Kecmanovic plays qualifying at noon.
Cedric Pioline, the director of the Paris Masters, openly wonders whether Novak Djokovic will come back to his tournament next year. Ahead of the start of the event at La Defense Arena, where the Masters has been played since last year, he urged fans to turn out specifically for the Serb.
Pioline’s message, as carried by Sport Klub, was:
Come and enjoy Novak’s game, because if this is not his last appearance here, it is probably the second to last. He is our record holder, he has won the title here seven times. And I don’t even need to remind you that he is the record holder with 24 Grand Slams.
That is how Pioline describes a man who has won the Paris title seven times but has skipped the tournament for the past two seasons.
Why Does the Tournament Director Doubt Djokovic’s Future?
Age is not the only reason. In remarks relayed by B92, Pioline goes back over Djokovic’s decisions of the past two years. The Serb qualified for the ATP Finals in Turin in both 2024 and 2025 but did not play there, then announced this year, after failing to qualify, that he wanted to play. Pioline’s take:
I had trouble following his logic, because in 2024 and 2025 he qualified for the Finals but did not play. Which is actually quite unique in history, because everyone always dreams of playing in that tournament. And then, this year, when he did not qualify, he announced that he wanted to play
The most candid part concerns age and the body:
My immediate thought was: let’s enjoy Novak, let’s enjoy him because he is 39. Although he has announced that he wants to extend his career to Los Angeles 2028, we can see it is getting difficult. That is natural, the body reacts less well, it is less quick, it recovers with more difficulty.
The tournament director ends with a question that has no answer yet:
Is this the last time we will see him at the tournament? Will he be here next year? Clearly there is a question mark. That is why we appreciate that he is coming to Paris.
Pioline does not sugarcoat Djokovic’s chase for a place at the Finals either: “He has no easy draw, every round will be tough. Besides that, Djokovic is less efficient in his game now than he was a few years ago. Simply, time passes.”
Who Awaits Djokovic in the First Round?
His first opponent is Valentin Vacherot of Monaco, ranked 31st in the world according to Novosti. He is no ordinary opponent for Djokovic. In October 2025 in Shanghai, Vacherot, then ranked 204th, beat the Serb in the semifinal and went on to win the title, becoming the lowest-ranked champion in Masters history.
Vacherot arrives in Paris with no time to rest. Today he plays the final of the ATP tournament in Basel against Czech player Jiri Lehecka. In the semifinal he beat American Taylor Fritz in 87 minutes, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, and became the first player from Monaco to reach the final of the Swiss Indoors. It is the first final he has played this year and also his first in the ATP 500 series. He trailed 1-4 in the first-set tiebreak, then won six of the next seven points. About Fritz he said:
When returning you can only hope for the best, because Taylor is one of the best servers on the Tour. He is incredible at finding angles.
Lehecka won the other semifinal in a comeback against Jan-Lennard Struff, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, after a little more than two hours and a saved match point. Struff had knocked Djokovic out in the Basel round of 16.
The loss cost Fritz his chance to move past the Serb. He began the week ranked 13th in the world and will be 12th from next week, while Djokovic is 11th with 3,140 points, against the 3,095 the American will have.
When Do Djokovic and Kecmanovic Play?
The Paris Masters starts on Monday, November 2, according to B92 and Novosti. The time of Djokovic’s match has not been announced. RTS wrote that the match is scheduled for Sunday, but Vacherot plays the Basel final then, so that does not fit the schedule.
Miomir Kecmanovic knows his schedule. Today at noon, on Court 2, he plays the last round of qualifying against Juan Manuel Cerundolo. Kecmanovic is the eighth seed in qualifying and the Argentine is the fifth. RTS calls him Francisco, while the ATP and B92 give Juan Manuel.
The Serb reached this match by beating Australian James Duckworth, ranked 68th in the world, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in one hour and 58 minutes. Duckworth served 12 aces, and Kecmanovic landed 64 percent of his first serves. In the final game he made up a 0-40 deficit and converted his first match point.
Cerundolo got past American Alexander Kovacevic in the first round, 7-6 (5), 6-3. The winner of this match goes into the main draw.
The next date is clear: Kecmanovic plays today at noon, and the Masters starts tomorrow, November 2.
