World No. 1 Novak Djokovic kicked off his French Open marketing campaign with a routine 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 win in opposition to American Tennys Sandgren on Tuesday within the first males’s match to be scheduled in an evening session.
With no spectators allowed on Philippe Chatrier courtroom as a consequence of a 9pm native curfew, the Serbian went by way of the gears as he dispatched his opponent seemingly effortlessly. Djokovic, who’s chasing a nineteenth main title and trying to slim the hole to 20-time Grand Slam champions Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, confirmed some indicators of frustration within the second set however world quantity 66 Sandgren was by no means near bothering him.
The third set was a mere formality as Djokovic, who received his solely Roland Garros title in 2016, received 5 video games in a row in what resembled a coaching session. He subsequent faces Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas on his technique to a possible semi-final showdown with 13-time French Open champion Nadal.
While he appreciated taking part in the primary males’s evening session at Roland Garros, Djokovic stated he would have most well-liked to play in entrance of crowds like he did final week in Belgrade, the place he received the title.
“I’m honoured to be the first men’s match to play a Roland Garros night session. It was very interesting to say the least, I liked the conditions and the way I played, the way I moved, the way I felt, it worked out pretty well,” he instructed a courtside interviewer.
“Tennys played some good tennis. He challenged my serve, in the second set he had six break points. But it was awfully quiet, with crowds it would have been the perfect scenario, perfect setting, but hopefully this is the last match without a crowd for me in this tournament.”
