Defending French Open champion Novak Djokovic defeated Pierre-Hugues Herbert to get back on track.
Watch Andy Murray compete at the Stuttgart Open, exclusively live on Sky Sports starting on June 10, while Novak Djokovic wins in straight sets against Pierre-Hugues Herbert to begin his steady but unspectacular defence of the Roland Garros championship. Casper Ruud also advances.
At the French Open on Tuesday, defending champion Novak Djokovic confidently defeated Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 to allay concerns about his current condition of play.
The tournament’s top seed had to wait until the night match to start his pursuit of a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam victory, but he wasted little time taking care of French wild card Herbert on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Jannik Sinner is threatening Djokovic’s world No. 1 position; prior to the tournament, the Serb stated that he came with “low expectations and great hopes” following recent unexpected losses. Djokovic has not made it to a final this year.
offered a strong fight, but it never seemed like it would be enough to worry Djokovic, who has now won 72 of his 74 first-round matches in Grand Slam competitions.
Djokovic’s sole dramatic moment occurred late in the third set when he tumbled badly at the net and was jeered by the always supportive Paris crowd as he cleaned himself off.
Every day, I get out of bed thanks to grand slams.
The three-time French Open champion Djokovic, who will now play Roberto Carballes Baena in round two, stated in an interview with Eurosport: “I’m happy with my performance, although he [Herbert] caused me a lot of trouble on his serve, service, and volleying.”
“I view every game as a precious opportunity at this age because you never know how long you’ll be at this level.
Grand Slams are essentially what wake me up from my bed every day because I know that I have to hit the practice courts, as I have stated since the beginning of the year.
Later, Djokovic told reporters, “I think I delivered in the crucial moments and maintained my focus.” I’m happy with how I started and how I felt on the court.
“I felt pleased about the tournaments I played compared to the weeks before. I’m heading in the right direction.”
Making a successful start in his pursuit of the French Open championship, Ruud
After losing in the final of the previous two French Opens, Casper Ruud exacted some late-life familial retribution by defeating Felipe Meligeni Alves, a Brazilian qualifier, in straight sets.
Ruud’s father Christian was defeated by Fernando Meligeni, the uncle of Meligeni Alves, in the 1995 Swedish Open final in Bastad.
Last week’s winner in Geneva, Ruud, stated: “I believe my dad and I both desired some retribution. I suppose the wait was worthwhile. We had to wait for it for many years, but today we finally received it.
“Every year, this is one of the largest competitions for everyone, including me. Among my best moments. It’s something I always look forward to.
“I’ve gained so much here in Paris over the past two years. I’m hoping for another successful year.”
