"Everyone has been talking about it - the balls, the heavy clay, the cold weather. It all affects the play, of course. But I think it's quite suitable to my style of the game"
Tuesday 29 September 2020 20:04, UK
Novak Djokovic made a smooth start to his French Open campaign as he began his quest for an 18th Grand Slam title, and a second at Roland Garros, in style.
Playing his first Grand Slam match since his US Open disqualification, Djokovic was an emphatic 6-0 6-2 6-3 winner against Swede Mikael Ymer.
"I am definitely very confident," said Djokovic, whose comfortable victory over the world No 80 maintained his record of not having lost a match in 2020 barring the default at Flushing Meadows.
"I won every match that I played this year except the one in New York where I was disqualified. If you keep on winning, with every match that you win your confidence level raises a notch higher.
"Obviously these conditions are different than what we are used to here in French Open. Everyone has been talking about it - the balls, the heavy clay, the cold weather. It all affects the play, of course. But I think it's quite suitable to my style of the game. I actually enjoyed myself on the court today. I think I played really well. A few hiccups here and there, but I think generally the game is there.
"I'm ready physically, mentally, emotionally to go deep in the tournament. Hopefully I can have another successful year here in Paris."
The world No 1 took just 20 minutes to race through the first set and, although the next two sets were more competitive, Djokovic was always in control
Ymer will remember the match fondly for one moment in the second set when he chased down a lob and won a point with a shot whipped through his legs.
Djokovic will go on to face Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis in round two and maintains he is fully focused on the challenges ahead, rather than the fall-out from events at the US Open.
"I have not had any traces of New York in my mind. I'm over it. Honestly forgot about it, I'm not thinking about it," Djokovic said.
The top seed is aiming to become the first man in the Open era, and third overall after Roy Emerson and Rod Laver, to win all four majors twice.
Andrey Rublev came back from the brink to beat Sam Querrey in five sets.
Trailing by two sets and 5-2 to the big-serving Querrey it seemed as though Russian star Rublev was about to suffer a similar first-round fate to his fourth-seeded compatriot Daniil Medvedev.
The 22-year-old had never recovered a two-set deficit before but showed incredible fight to gradually turn the match around to win 6-7 (5-7) 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 6-4 6-3 in three hours and 17 minutes.
Rublev's first French Open match win sets him up for a second-round clash with Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Seventh seed Matteo Berrettini made short work of Canada's Vasek Pospisil, winning 6-3 6-1 6-3. The Italian will next take on Lloyd Harris who beat Alexei Popyrin 6-4 6-4 7-6 (9-7), while South African Kevin Anderson is also into the second round following his 6-2 6-3 6-4 win over Laslo Djere.
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