Novak Djokovic applauds compatriot Hamad Medjedovic on qualifying for French Open 2023 

Novak Djokovic has extended his congratulations to Hamad Medjedovic after the 19-year-old qualified for the main draw at the 2023 French Open, his first at a Grand Slam event.

Medjedovic battled past Ivan Gakhov in his opening qualifier match, defeating the Russian 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4. He then defeated fourth seed Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. The Serb secured a comeback victory over Jesper De Jong next, winning 0-6, 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the main draw of the claycourt Major, where he will be up against Marcos Giron in the first round.

Medjedovic took to social media to celebrate his triumph and maiden main draw appearance in Paris.

"Roland Garros qualies done. Main draw here we come," he wrote on Instagram.

Novak Djokovic reshared Medjedovic's post on his social media and congratulated his fellow Serb, who is a student at the Novak Tennis Center in Belgrade.

"Bravo Hameee," Djokovic wrote on his Instagram story followed by clapping emojis.

Novak Djokovic's Instagram story

While competing at the ATP Challenger Chennai Open in February, Medjedovic recalled that the 22-time Grand Slam champion noticed him after his good results on the junior circuit, following which he invited him to train at his academy.

"I mean Serbia is a pretty small country, you know. You can hear a lot, I was good at the juniors, so [Novak Djokovic] probably heard somewhere. I had a good win at the French Open against the first seed and that's when he texted me," he said.

"You know I said thanks and after some time he called me to practice. And then we practiced together. And after that, he wanted me to stay at his center and that's how everything started," he added.

Novak Djokovic set to take on Aleksandar Kovacevic in tournament opener at French Open 2023

The Serb at the 2023 Italian Open

Novak Djokovic is set to begin his campaign for his third French Open and 23rd Grand Slam title against Aleksandar Kovacevic in Paris. This will mark the pair's first-ever clash.

The Serb will be hoping to put his best foot forward in his opening match after a disappointing claycourt season in the lead-up to the French Open. After a tough battle against Ivan Gakhov, the 36-year-old was ousted from the Monte-Carlo Masters by Lorenzo Musetti in the third round.

He was then defeated by Dusan Lajovic in the quarterfinals of the Srpska Open. After an elbow injury necessitated his withdrawal from the Madrid Open, Djokovic made his return at the Italian Open. Despite battling past Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Grigor Dimitrov and Cameron Norrie, the top seed was unable to defend his title in Rome, losing to Holger Rune in the quarterfinals.