Novak Djokovic made a clinical start to his latest pursuit of a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title at the French Open yesterday, while women’s contenders Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva successfully got their campaigns under way at a windy Roland Garros.
The 38-year-old Djokovic had little trouble in seeing off 98th-ranked American Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, three days after becoming only the third man to win 100 ATP titles with his victory in Geneva.
“I don’t know how many more Grand Slams I’ve got left in my body,” said Djokovic, seeded sixth and playing in Paris for the first time since winning Olympic gold last August.
“I’m just trying to enjoy every moment in this magnificent stadium.”
The three-time French Open champion lost his opening matches in both Monte Carlo and Madrid earlier in the clay-court season, but was dominant against McDonald, with his only hic-cup coming when he failed to serve out the second set in the eighth game.
The Serb, who withdrew injured before the quarter-finals in 2024, will meet a Frenchman in either Corentin Moutet or Clement Tabur in round two.
Djokovic is on the same half of the draw as world number one Jannik Sinner and last year’s runner-up Alexander Zverev, who saw off American teenager Learner Tien 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
World number three Zverev is hoping to go a step further than 12 months ago when he lost the final to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets, his third defeat in as many Grand Slam finals.
His preparation has been far from ideal after his plane was struck by lightning on the journey to Paris following a last-16 loss in Hamburg.
The 19-year-old Tien, who knocked out Daniil Medvedev en route to the Australian Open last 16 in January, was overpowered on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Zverev, who has reached at least the semi-finals in each of the last four French Opens, will next face Dutchman Jesper de Jong.
Former US Open champion and five-time Grand Slam runner-up Medvedev was dumped out in the first round for the sixth time in Paris, losing a dramatic clash with Cameron Norrie 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 1-6, 7-5.
Grigor Dimitrov retired injured for a fourth consecutive Grand Slam tournament, calling it quits due to a leg injury when leading American Ethan Quinn by two sets to one.
Ninth seed Alex de Minaur, a quarter-finalist at each of the past four majors, started well with an accomplished 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) win over Serbia’s Laslo Djere.
Miami champion Jakub Mensik came through an entertaining match against Frenchman Alexandre Muller, repeatedly taunting the home crowd during a 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 6-3 victory.
In the women’s draw, 2022 runner-up Gauff brushed aside Australia’s Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-2.
Gauff, the 2023 US Open winner, has not won a tournament since last year’s WTA Finals but reached the finals at both Madrid and Rome this month.
The 21-year-old American has reached the quarter-finals or better in each of her past four visits to Roland Garros.