Djokovic crushes Ymer to start French Open campaign

Novak Djokovic got his quest for an 18th Grand Slam title back on track as he commenced his French Open campaign with a drama-free 6-0 6-2 6-3 victory over Mikael Ymer on Tuesday.

Little over three weeks since Djokovic was defaulted in the U.S. Open fourth round for hitting a line judge with a ball, he was a model of self-control as he outclassed the young Swede.

Had Court Philippe Chatrier been packed with fans rather than just a smattering on Tuesday because of the Covid-19 restrictions, Djokovic might have expected some heckling from the sometimes fickle post-lunch French audience.

Instead, it was as gentle a return to the Grand Slam spotlight as the 33-year-old top seed could have wished for as he charmed the tiny audience with his silky repertoire.

In the women’s draw, Czech second seed Karolina Pliskova managed to rein in her errors and found a way past battling Egyptian qualifier Mayar Sherif with a 6-7(9) 6-2 6-4 victory in the opening round on Tuesday.

Former world number one Pliskova had 27 unforced errors and hit six double faults in the first set under the open roof of Court Philippe Chatrier, struggling to find winners from her power game in slow conditions.

“Conditions were not easy, and I think she also played a little better than I maybe thought, because I didn’t know much,” Pliskova told reporters.

British tennis meanwhile is licking its wounds after first-round defeats for all six singles players.

It is the first time since the same tournament seven years ago that no British players have reached round two at a slam and caps a disappointing season in the majors overall.