PARIS — Ignore the straight-set rating: Novak Djokovic was not fairly at his impervious finest within the first spherical of the French Open on Tuesday evening, and his 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-4 win over Pierre-Hugues Herbert may not have been sufficient to change the defending champion’s “low expectations” at this event.
“I do not need to get too excited,” Djokovic stated. “I assumed it was efficiency for me. Stable. In fact, I might have executed higher, I feel, on return video games, but in addition credit score to him for serving very nicely, for altering issues up.”
It has been a rougher than normal season thus far for Djokovic, and whereas there have been some indicators of breaking out of his 2024 funk through the course of the competition at Court docket Philippe Chatrier, he nonetheless has room for enchancment as he makes an attempt to develop into the primary participant in tennis historical past to say 25 Grand Slam singles trophies. There isn’t any doubt he cares about such issues.
“Grand Slams are those which might be mainly getting me up from the mattress each day,” Djokovic stated. “Realizing that I’ve to hit the observe courts, I all the time take into consideration what I can do in Grand Slams. So right here I’m. Hopefully I can have one other deep run.”
That is what Herbert anticipated to see.
“I knew, from the start,” Herbert stated, “that I will have in entrance of me the ‘Novak of the Grand Slams.’ … It is simply the depth of focus.”
Djokovic is a three-time title winner at Roland Garros who must return to the ultimate to retain his No. 1 rating. However he arrived in Paris with out having executed that at any event this 12 months. He’s 0-3 in semifinals — together with a loss final week on the lower-tier Geneva Open on crimson clay — and this victory throughout 2½ hours solely served to make his total file 15-6.
So when he spoke at a information convention Sunday, Djokovic described his mindset heading into the French Open this fashion: “Low expectations and excessive hopes.” Then he identified, “Something however a title, for me, shouldn’t be passable,” which is comprehensible given his outstanding résumé.
“Within the moments when it mattered, I feel I delivered. Performed a terrific tiebreak. Stayed targeted,” Djokovic stated about Tuesday’s efficiency. “I am glad that I began the best way I began, the best way I felt on the court docket. Evaluating to the earlier weeks of tournaments I performed, I felt good. Higher. So I am transferring in a constructive path. Yeah, it is only the start.”
He appeared a bit edgy at moments in opposition to Herbert, a 33-year-old Frenchman who owns a profession Grand Slam in doubles however by no means has been previous the third spherical at any main in singles and is presently ranked 142nd.
The house crowd tried to push Herbert, repeatedly calling out his identify, even imploring him in English at one level by chanting, “Let’s go, Pierre-Hugues! Let’s go!” They jeered Djokovic late within the third set when he went to the sideline to towel off after he slipped, stumbled and tumbled onto the clay chasing a ball.
A day after sitting within the Chatrier stands to observe rival Rafael Nadal‘s first-round loss in opposition to Alexander Zverev, Djokovic was competing within the chill of a 60-degree night, and he didn’t all the time look blissful. He rolled his head again after one miss whereas making 4 groundstroke errors to get damaged early within the second set. He repeatedly gestured to ballkids to offer him tennis balls so he might put together to serve.
Though Herbert’s recreation didn’t demand a most expenditure of power from Djokovic, there actually was sufficient to maintain issues attention-grabbing. And by the tip, the winner totals had been 37 for Herbert, 29 for Djokovic.
There have been some strokes of brilliance from Djokovic, to make certain, and he coated the court docket nicely when sprinting after the drop pictures Herbert stored making an attempt. The spotlight for Djokovic was in all probability the closed-stance sliding backhand winner that earned him a match level — which was transformed when Herbert double-faulted to finish it.
Nonetheless, the statistic that really mattered was the one which reveals Djokovic is now 69-0 in opening matches at Slam occasions since beginning his profession with a 3-2 mark in first-rounders.
Djokovic’s second-round opponent might be 63rd-ranked Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain.
The primary spherical closed on a day throughout which rain delayed play for a number of hours early within the day on all however the two principal courts, that are outfitted with retractable roofs.
Different winners Tuesday included the person Djokovic beat in final 12 months’s French Open last, Casper Ruud, and previous main champions Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina.
Ruud, who additionally was the runner-up to Nadal in Paris in 2022 and leads the ATP with 36 wins in 2024, beat Felipe Meligeni Alves 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.
Two-time Australian Open champion Sabalenka overpowered Erika Andreeva 6-1, 6-2, and 2022 Wimbledon winner Rybakina beat Greet Minnen 6-2, 6-3.
Sabalenka is making an attempt to develop into the primary girl since Serena Williams in 2015 to win the Australian Open and Roland Garros in the identical season and get midway to a calendar-year Grand Slam.
“I am simply making an attempt to separate myself from all these information,” stated Sabalenka, who’s No. 2 within the rankings behind Iga Swiatek. “I imply, I do know that if I am going to have the ability to deal with myself and I am going to have the ability to battle for each level and attempt to discover a resolution in every recreation, I will win these massive tournaments. However I simply attempt to take it step-by-step.”