Who is Filip Misolic, Novak Djokovic’s third-round opponent at French Open 2025? All you need to know

May 31, 2025

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Novak Djokovic, a three-time French Open champion who is now chasing his 25th Grand Slam, will face Filip Misolic of Austria in the third round of French Open on Saturday, May 31. Misolic is ranked 153rd in the world and had attained a career-high ranking of World No. 126 in 2023.

Misolic is currently the Austrian No. 2, behind Sebastian Ofner. He trained with Djokovic prior to last year’s US Open and will now face the legendary Serb in a Grand Slam.

Misolic beat Yunchaokete Bu of China 5-7 7-6 (3) 7-6 (4) 6-1 in the first round of this year’s French Open. In the second round, he caused a big upset by toppling 27th-seed Denis Shapovalov of Canada 7-6 (5) 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 4-6 6-3 to set up the clash with Djokovic. Notably, he entered the main draw after competing in the qualifiers.

This has been the deepest run for Filip Misolic in a Grand Slam:

Hailing from Graz, Austria, Misolic never reached the third round of any other Grand Slam previously. He turned pro in 2019 and rates clay as his favorite surface. The 23-year-old Austrian has won three Challenger-level tournaments on clay so far.

He also reached an ATP final in Kitzbuhel in 2022, beating players like Pablo Andujar and Dusan Lajovic in the process. It remains his finest run in an ATP tournament till date.

Misolic has previously faced Grand Slam winners like Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem, but Djokovic is going to be his most high-profile opponent.

The Austrian has played mostly in Challenger-level tournaments till date. In fact, the Zagreb Open and the Bucharest Open are the only two ATP tournament he has played in recent months. In Zagreb, he reached the quarterfinals before losing to Luca van Aseche of the Netherlands.

In Bucharest, too, he reached the quarterfinals before losing to Flavio Cobolli of Italy. Thus, He has come up with decent performances whenever he has got the opportunity to play in ATP-level tournaments in recent times.

It will be a huge test against Djokovic for the Austrian:

Djokovic will be hungry for a title at Roland Garros. He has recently won his 100th career ATP singles title in Geneva and will be gunning for glory at French Open.

Hence, the challenge for Misolic will be to make a match of it by taking a set or two off the Serb. Should he be able to cause another upset, it will be the biggest day of his career so far.

About the author

Subhadeep, an adept tennis journalist at Sportskeeda, has been writing about the sport for seven years. He is known for his exclusive match reviews and opinion pieces, utilizing his MBA degree to tackle them effectively with his problem-solving abilities.

Subhadeep lives and breathes tennis. He watches matches regularly and engages in social media platforms to stay on top of the latest happenings. As a writer, he brings the fan's perspective to his pieces, ensuring his readers enjoy an exceptional experience every time.

Growing up, he idolized Boris Becker, but he now firmly believes Novak Djokovic stands alone as the 'Greatest of all Time', especially considering the 24-time Grand Slam champion's incredible stats. One thing that still puzzles Subhadeep, however, is how Becker's Wimbledon tally might have reached five if not for Pete Sampras.

Speaking of the All England Club, the British Major holds a special place in his heart as he admires its blend of tradition and grass-court excellence. When not working for Sportskeeda, Subhadeep delves into the other "love of his life": football, and enjoys contributing his insights to different websites dedicated to the sport.

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