Novak Djokovic launched his quest for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title with a commanding straight-sets victory at the French Open on Tuesday, while Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva also advanced in their opening matches under challenging windy conditions at Roland Garros.
Djokovic, seeded sixth, defeated 98th-ranked American Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, following his milestone 100th ATP title win in Geneva three days earlier.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Reacting to the win, the Serbian said, "Well, the emotions were really nice. But, you know, it was quite challenging conditions I think at the beginning of the match with the wind and rain and everything that was happening." The three-time French Open champion had struggled earlier in the clay-court season, losing opening matches in Monte Carlo and Madrid, but showed improved form against McDonald after overcoming a brief setback in the second set.
"I think it was good move to go to Geneva, to be honest, because I was also struggling a little bit with confidence level, doubting my game a bit. So it was good that I got four matches under my belt, won a title. Coming into Roland Garros, it feels different than I had comparing to the feeling I had three weeks ago. Let's see how far I can go here, but I have a good feeling for now," Djokovic stated.
The Serbian star will face 73rd-ranked Frenchman Corentin Moutet in the next round, competing in the same half of the draw as world number one Jannik Sinner and last year's runner-up Alexander Zverev.
Zverev defeated American teenager Learner Tien 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 and will next face Dutchman Jesper de Jong. Former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev suffered his sixth first-round exit in Paris, losing to Cameron Norrie in a five-set battle 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 1-6, 7-5.
British fifth seed Jack Draper secured his first French Open victory, defeating Italy's Mattia Bellucci 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.
In the women's draw, 2022 runner-up Coco Gauff dominated Australia's Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-2, despite forgetting her racquets at the start of the match.
"I knew it wasn't going to be a clean match with how windy it was. Honestly, it was two different matches depending on which side of the court you were on," Gauff said.
Rising Russian star Mirra Andreeva, seeded sixth, overcame an early deficit to defeat Spain's Cristina Bucsa 6-4, 6-3.
"With time I played better and better, so I felt like closer to the end of the match I was playing good, not like in the beginning," Andreeva commented.
Third seed Jessica Pegula returned to Roland Garros after missing the 2024 edition due to injuries, defeating Romania's Anca Todoni 6-2, 6-4.
Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka dominated Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer with a 6-0, 6-0 victory, while Magdalena Frech eliminated three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur.
Other notable results included ninth seed Alex de Minaur's straight-sets victory over Serbia's Laslo Djere, and Miami champion Jakub Mensik's four-set win against Frenchman Alexandre Muller. Grigor Dimitrov's tournament ended early as he retired with a leg injury while leading American Ethan Quinn by two sets to one, marking his fourth consecutive Grand Slam retirement.
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