Defending champion Novak Djokovic on Tuesday reached the French Open second round for the 20th time, but said that he “won’t get too excited” after enduring a worrying decline in form and achievements this season.
Djokovic, chasing a fourth title at Roland Garros and a record 25th Grand Slam triumph, came through against 142nd-ranked French opponent Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4.
However, without a title or even a place in a final this season for the first time since 2018, Djokovic was not getting too far ahead of himself.
Photo: AFP
“In Monte-Carlo [beaten in the semi-finals], Rome [lost in the third round] and Geneva [beaten in the semi-finals], I started the tournament really well,” he said. “My first matches were great, but the second or third, it was something else... So I don’t want to get too excited.”
The 37-year-old Djokovic, who saw career-long rival and 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal exit the tournament on Monday, arrived in Paris under a cloud.
His best runs were to the semi-finals of the Australian Open, where he lost his title to Jannik Sinner, Monte Carlo and Geneva.
Adding injury to insult he was then accidentally hit on the head by a metal water bottle in Rome and had stomach problems at the Switzerland event last week.
“It was a good performance tonight from me,” Djokovic added after his 93rd career win at Roland Garros. “It was solid. I could have done better on the return games, but congratulations to him for serving very well.”
“I felt better compared to the previous weeks,” he said. “I’m moving in the right direction, but it’s only the beginning. It’s only one match. We have to see how I will progress in the tournament, how my feelings will evolve.”
Djokovic, who has advanced to the French Open quarter-finals or better every year since 2010, faces Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena for a place in the last 32.
“I’m happy with my state of mind on the court, it’s something I was looking for,” he said. “And where are you going to feel that if it’s not in the Grand Slams? I’ve been saying it over the last few years, the Grand Slam tournaments are the ones that make me get up every morning and go train. I hope to go far once again.”
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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