A 12 months after the heartbreak of a torn meniscus and a mid-tournament withdrawal, Novak Djokovic returned to Roland Garros with a clear invoice of well being – and a golden reminiscence.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion’s final go to to Paris resulted in each despair and triumph: He exited the French Open injured however left city clutching his long-coveted Olympic gold medal for Serbia.
This time, it was all business.
Breezing via a blustery, damp afternoon on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Djokovic dismantled 98th-ranked American Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 within the first spherical, disregarding early climate delays and by no means trying threatened.
“He makes it seem like a video game,” mentioned McDonald, a 30-year-old Californian and former UCLA standout. “He wasn’t even at his top level. But if I had pushed him, he’d have found it.”
That glimpse of Djokovic’s higher gear got here when McDonald reached triple break level at 2-3 within the second set. The Serb calmly fired back-to-back aces – 120 mph, then 123 – and capped the maintain with a 122 mph service winner, slamming the door on any hope of a momentum shift.
Djokovic compiled 32 winners – 18 greater than McDonald – and simply 20 unforced errors in a match that finally was performed underneath the lights with the retractable roof closed.
“I’m a competitor, and losing stings,” McDonald mentioned. “But playing Novak on that court is something I’ll remember.”
Before Djokovic, who simply turned 38 and received his a hundredth profession title final weekend, walked onto the taking part in floor, the stadium announcer launched him by his complete variety of Slam trophies, the three he’s received on the French Open, and the Summer Games gold he received “here in Paris.”
“I still remember last year’s Olympic Games. It was the last time I was here,” Djokovic mentioned afterward. “The emotion is very strong.”
The medal meaning a lot to him?
“I don’t have the medal with me. But I have a picture of the medal in my bag,” he mentioned. “The medal is with my father. My dad likes trophies more than I do, so I gave him mine.”
Once Coco Gauff discovered her rackets – a comparatively necessary piece of kit for a tennis participant – all was properly for her within the first spherical. Gauff confirmed up on court docket, opened her bag and peered inside to search out it was lacking her rackets. The begin of the warmup was delayed, however then every little thing went Gauff’s approach. The 2023 U.S. Open champion received previous Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-2.
Unseeded American Alycia Parks, ranked 52nd on this planet, beat No. 14 seed Karolina Muchova 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 within the ladies’s final match of the day. Muchova was the runner-up to Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros in 2023.
Other winners included the No. 3 seeds, Jessica Pegula and Alexander Zverev, and 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva. But 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, seeded eleventh, misplaced to Cam Norrie 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 1-6, 7-5 in a match that lasted almost 4 hours.
More seeded males have been despatched dwelling: 18-year-old Joao Fonseca dispatched No. 30 Hubert Hurkacz 6-2, 6-4, 6-2, and No. 16 Grigor Dimitrov give up whereas main American qualifier Ethan Quinn two units to 1.
This marked the fourth consecutive main match at which Dimitrov has retired.
The second spherical begins on Day 4, with a schedule that features defending champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz, 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini and two-time finalist Casper Ruud.
Swiatek meets 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu within the day session’s last match in the principle stadium.
Source: www.dailysabah.com