NEW DELHI: The defending champion Novak Djokovic confidently dismissed any doubts about his form by defeating French wildcard Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-4 in the first round of the French Open on Tuesday.
Despite having to wait until the third day of the tournament for his night match on Court Philippe Chatrier, the top seed quickly found his rhythm and secured his 72nd win out of 74 first-round matches in Grand Slam tournaments.
Although Herbert put up a solid fight, Djokovic never seemed to be in serious trouble. The only minor setback came in the second set when the Serbian broke serve early but then lost his own, forcing a tiebreak.
However, Djokovic found an extra gear to move towards victory. "He gave me a lot of trouble on his serve, serve and volleying, but from my side I'm pleased with the performance," Djokovic told Eurosport.
The 37-year-old, who hasn't reached a final this year and faces a potential threat to his world number one ranking from Jannik Sinner, emphasized the importance of Grand Slam tournaments at this stage of his career.
"It's something that I have been saying from the beginning of the year, that Grand Slams are the ones that are basically getting me up from the bed every day, knowing that I have to hit the practice courts," he said.
Djokovic's recent defeats in Rome and Geneva to Alejandro Tabilo and Tomas Machac, respectively, led him to downplay his chances at the French Open. However, he demonstrated that Grand Slam tournaments are a different challenge altogether.
The top seed broke Herbert's serve early in the opening set with a powerful forehand winner and closed out the set in 37 minutes. Despite Herbert's valiant efforts, Djokovic's superior skills and experience proved too much, and the match ended with a double fault from the Frenchman.
In the second round, the three-time Roland Garros champion will face Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena.
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