"Novak Djokovic starts French Open 2023 with straight-set victory"

 

Novak Djokovic, the two-time former French Open champion, opened his campaign at Roland Garros with a solid straight-set win, although he didn't display his usual ruthless form. Despite some challenges from his opponent, Djokovic managed to secure a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(1) victory over American Aleksandar Kovacevic on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Eighteen years ago, Kovacevic, a fan of Djokovic, had watched the Serbian player as a teenager on one of the outer courts at the US Open in Flushing Meadows. Now, destiny had brought them face-to-face on the prestigious showpiece court of Roland Garros. While Kovacevic did cause a few problems for Djokovic during their two-and-a-half-hour encounter, it wasn't enough to unsettle the 22-time Grand Slam champion.

Despite losing serve a few times and facing a late fightback from the 24-year-old Grand Slam debutant, Djokovic regained his composure in the third-set tiebreaker, allowing Kovacevic to win just one point. Speaking in French during his on-court interview, Djokovic expressed his motivation to remain in the tournament and his satisfaction with the promising start. He also expressed hope for further improvement in his upcoming matches.

Djokovic will face Hungarian Marton Fucsovics in the second round, aiming to continue his quest for another French Open title. Prior to the match, there were concerns about Djokovic's fitness due to an elbow injury during the clay season. However, the Serbian player showed little signs of trouble, delivering a largely clinical performance in his opening test. Djokovic hit 41 winners, including 10 aces, and impressively won 73% of the points at the net.

Kovacevic, ranked 114th in the world, managed to trouble Djokovic with his single-handed backhand but lacked consistency. Djokovic broke Kovacevic's serve in the sixth game of the opening set, which gave him the advantage to comfortably win both the first and second sets.

The third set began with Djokovic breaking Kovacevic's serve to love. Although the American put pressure on Djokovic's serve in the following game, the Serbian managed to save three break points. However, Djokovic's serve faltered again in the sixth game, allowing Kovacevic to level the set at 3-3. Nevertheless, Kovacevic lost his serve immediately, and Djokovic had a chance to serve for the match. Surprisingly, Djokovic momentarily dropped his guard, enabling Kovacevic to stage a brief comeback. However, the tiebreaker was completely dominated by Djokovic, who secured the victory.