There is a significant chunk of tennis lovers that consider the French Open as the proper spot for Djokovic to reclaim his lost status. The 30-year-old tennis star has managed to secure a spot in the next round in what seems to be a tough race to defend the success of last year.
The difficulty of this particular job springs out from the fact that Djokovic is on the same part of the draw with Rafael Nadal, nine times French Open winner and the main favorite for this one. Their clash is set up for the semis unless any strange event emerges along the way.
Moreover, the Serb is seeking his first ATP title since January.
Djokovic got past Marcel Granollers-Pujol in the opening round
Before this encounter, these two had three matches of shared history all being won by Djokovic. Still, all their previous meeting took place on outdoor hardcourt so the clay could've brought in a new element of surprise. As it turned out, it was not the case as the 30-year-old Serb had no problems in getting past the 31-year-old Spaniard. The final score shows some compelling numbers as Djokovic won by 6-3 6-4 6-2.
That puts him six matches away from successfully defending his title and four matches away from a titanic battle with Rafael Nadal. In the second round, he is set to face either Joao Sousa or Janko Tipsarevic.
His quarter of the draw has Dominic Thiem as the biggest threat. The Austrian has been on a roll recently scoring great results during the clay court swing including a win over Nadal.
Against Marcel Granollers (77 ATP) Djokovic's overall game seemed to be solid. But he had some issues in preserving his serve. Throughout the match, he lost his service game on four occasions.
Still, as a first round appearance, things look promising for the defending champion.
Djokovic seeking new dimensions to motivate himself
Recently, his brand new partnership with Andre Agassi caused quite a stir. The French Open is the first event where Agassi could have a visible impact on Djokovic's tennis approach. Struggling with his work ethic and a certain lack of motivation, the Serb champion and former world no.
2 lost touch with the elevated pace of previous seasons.
With no ATP title of any kind since January and without a big success since 2016 Cincinnati, he must find a way to bring back the lost mojo. He was close to accomplishing a decent comeback last week in Rome but he failed to handle the young tennis star Alexander Zverev in that final. The upcoming days will provide a more specific image of how Djokovic is functioning under Agassi's twig.
