Djokovic came into the match against the big server with huge doubts hanging over him after he played just one clay court warm-up match ahead of the Paris major due to lingering injury and motivation issues.
So he was undercooked heading into the match against Mpetshi Perricard and that showed in the opening exchanges, as the Frenchman stormed to the first set and challenged to win the second before Djokovic took control.
The Serbian was clearly losing his cool at the start of the second set, but Mpetshi Perricard was not good enough to take advantage and made too many mistakes as he allowed Djokovic to take control and seal a 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 win.
Djokovic was not impressed with the vocal support for Mpetshi Perricard in the first set and he made gestures towards the crowd demanding that they show him some respect as he stormed back in the second set.
He then offered the fans a little dance of delight at the end, as he suggested it was not easy to challenge a French player at his home Grand Slam.
“I want to congratulate Giovanni for a great match. It’s not many times in my career I’ve faced a serve like that,” said Djokovic.
“In the first set, I had no chance. The second set changed a little for me. In a match like that, you have to stay concentrated and wait for an opportunity. It’s a little complicated, but I found my best game, you could say, and my return at the right moment.”
This was a tough test for Djokovic, but it may have been just what he needed after a disrupted build-up to this tournament.
He now faces the prospect of taking on another Frenchman in Valentin Royer, with a mouthwatering clash against Joao Fonseca a possible match to savour in round three.
As always when Djokovic steps on court these days, he set more records when he took to the court against Mpetshi Perricard.
He became the first man to make 82 Grand Slam singles main draw appearances, moving clear of Roger Federer and Feliciano Lopez’s record of 81 appearances after tying the mark at the Australian Open in January.
Djokovic also maintained his impressive unbeaten record against French players, as he has not lost against a player from the country since losing against Benoit Paire at the 2018.
Elsewhere, second seed Alexander Zverev defeated Benjamin Bonzi 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, while Nishesh Basavareddy knocked out seventh seed Taylor Fritz 7-6(5), 7-6(5), 6-7(9), 6-1 in a four-set epic.
