Novak Djokovic took a confident stride towards a men’s record 23rd Grand Slam singles title with an authoritative straight-sets win over Aleksandar Kovacevic in the French Open’s inaugural round on Monday.
The two-time Roland Garros victor, Djokovic, quashed a late resurgence from his American counterpart on Court Philippe Chatrier, emerging victorious with a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) triumph. His opening match record in major tournaments remains undefeated since the 2006 Australian Open.
Feeling highly motivated to progress far into this tournament, Djokovic expressed satisfaction at his solid start to his 19th consecutive French Open campaign, with hopes to elevate his performance for upcoming matches.
The 36-year-old Serbian star now prepares to go head-to-head with Hungarian Marton Fucsovics in the second round, a player he has outplayed in all their previous encounters.
Despite his stellar record and the absence of his fierce rival, 14-time winner Rafael Nadal, Djokovic has been seeded third at Roland Garros this year, trailing behind world number one Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev.
Tied with Nadal for most men’s Slam singles titles, Djokovic trails just one title behind Serena Williams’ 23. Margaret Court leads the pack with a record of 24.
Djokovic’s first-round opponent, Kovacevic, the world number 114 making his Grand Slam debut, showed grit but consistently failed to pressure the seasoned champion.
After clinching the first set with a single break, Djokovic stormed through the second. Despite a momentary lapse when serving for the match, Djokovic regained composure, overpowered Kovacevic in the tie-break, and sealed his victory with a powerful forehand return on his first match point.
In other matches, Canadian 10th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime suffered an unexpected loss at the opening hurdle for the third time in four visits to Roland Garros, succumbing 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 to Fabio Fognini.
British 14th seed Cameron Norrie weathered a five-set contest on Court Suzanne Lenglen, defeating home wildcard Benoit Paire 7-5, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
In the women’s division, previous finalist Sloane Stephens ousted 16th seed Karolina Pliskova 6-0, 6-4, while Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the runner-up in 2021, brushed off Czech teenager Linda Fruhvirtova 6-2, 6-2.
