CNN
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Novak Djokovic obtained his French Open began the marketing campaign with a dominant win over American Aleksandar Kovacevic within the first spherical.
The No. 3 seed beat Kovacevic in straight units, 6-3 6-2 7-6 (7-1), in Roland Garros as he begins his quest for a 3rd Grand Slam title.
The win continues her undefeated file in first-round French Open matches, shifting to 19-0 for her profession.
The Serbian additionally equaled an early file set by Roger Federer, turning into solely the second participant within the Open Period to win 65 consecutive first-round matches at Grand Slam occasions, between Roland Garros 2006 and 2023.
With out 14-time champion Rafael Nadal within the males’s draw, there’s a nice alternative for a lot of gamers to step again and declare the Coupe des Mousquetaires.
Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz is likely one of the top-seeded favourites, however Djokovic additionally has a powerful likelihood of successful a twenty third Grand Slam title, which might see him overtake Nadal on the high spot on the boys’s all-time record and nonetheless defend plus his declare as the best male tennis participant in historical past.
If Djokovic wins a 3rd French Open title, he would return to the highest spot within the males’s world rankings. She additionally now has 86 Grand Slam wins, second solely to Nadal’s 112.
However the 36-year-old has struggled this season on clay, failing to make the quarter-finals of three occasions and lacking one other with an elbow damage.
However within the first two units towards Kovacevic, Djokovic confirmed no indicators of rust or nerves, calmly dissecting the 24-year-old.
Nevertheless, Kovacevic, who was a self-proclaimed Djokovic fan as a baby and posed for a photograph with the Serb as a seven-year-old on the 2005 US Open, rallied within the third set, breaking Djokovic as he served within the match. sport
Djokovic was booed by onlookers after going 4-3 up within the third set.
Ultimately, Kovacevic fought again sufficient to drive the third set right into a tiebreaker which Djokovic received handily.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion will now face Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics within the second spherical.
