On Monday, reigning champion Novak Djokovic won the French Open in straight sets, while 13-time Roland Garros winner Rafael Nadal cruised to victory. Still, Naomi Osaka was eliminated in the first round.
In his first match since losing the US Open final last year, Djokovic overcame Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan 6-3, 6-1, 6-0 in the first night session in Paris. When he tried to defend his Australian Open title in January, he was deported from Melbourne after refusing to be vaccinated.
“I’m delighted to be back. Roland Garros is one of the most prestigious tennis championships in the world, and my memories from last year are still vivid in my memory “Djokovic said.
On a rain-soaked day on Court Philippe Chatrier, the world number one, who turned 35 on Sunday, converted eight of 18 break points against Nishioka.
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“Overall, I have to be delighted. I always set the bar high for myself, so I can always improve, but it was a great start to the tournament “Djokovic said.
He’ll face either Argentina’s Federico Coria or Slovakia’s Alex Molcan, coached by Marian Vajda, Djokovic’s former long-time coach.
Nadal, who faces Djokovic in the quarterfinals, defeated Jordan Thompson of Australia 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 to increase his Roland Garros record to 106 victories and three defeats since his 2005 title-winning debut.
“Of sure, straight sets is a nice start,” Nadal, the fifth seed, remarked.
“For a time, I was quite excellent. Then there are things that I could and should improve on. However, it’s a promising start.”
After defeating 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka, the Spaniard faces Corentin Moutet in round two.
Osaka and Krejcikova were eliminated
Amanda Anisimova, the same woman who stopped Osaka’s title defence at the Australian Open this year, knocked off the Grand Slam champion 7-5, 6-4.
On her comeback to Roland Garros after withdrawing in 2021 because she refused to honour mandated media duties before revealing she had been suffering from depression, Osaka served eight double faults and made 29 unforced mistakes.
“I think I worked very hard, and it’s just sad that I wasn’t able to play as many matches leading up to this event,” said Osaka, who is unseeded at a Grand Slam for the first time since the 2018 Australian Open.
Three years ago, Anisimova, the 27th seed, reached the semi-finals in Paris.
“I knew it wouldn’t be easy seeing Naomi Osaka in the first round,” the American stated.
“I knew I had to give it my all, and the circumstances weren’t ideal.”
Barbora Krejcikova, the reigning women’s champion, was also eliminated, losing 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 to Diane Parry of France, 19, in her first match since suffering an injury in February.
Following an elbow injury, the Czech world number two has yet to play on clay this season.
“I simply believe I physically crumbled,” Krejcikova said. “I mean, it was terrible since I didn’t play the matches.”
Anett Kontaveit, the fifth seed, was the fourth top-10 player to lose before the second day’s conclusion, falling 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 to Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia.
Iga Swiatek, the favourite for the women’s championship, extended her winning run to 29 matches with a 6-2, 6-0 victory against Ukrainian qualifier Lesia Tsurenko in 54 minutes.
Swiatek, who took over as world number one after Ashleigh Barty’s unexpected retirement, has won her past five events and is vying for her third French Open title.
Swiatek stated, “Today was a fairly solid match.”
Since Serena Williams’ 34-match winning run in 2013, she has been undefeated on the WTA circuit.
“I’m very confident it might end, but I’d rather keep going. I’m confident my streak will end one day.”
Rain forced the cancellation of ten matches, which will make up on Tuesday.
