Novak Djokovic: Defending French Open champion up and running with victory over Pierre-Hugues Herbert

As the current title holder, Novak Djokovic didn't let any speculation about his performance affect him as he triumphed over Pierre-Hugues Herbert in a secure 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 victory at the French Open on Tuesday.

The number one seeded player had to wait for the night match on the tournament's third day to commence his journey towards his aim of getting his 25th Grand Slam title, which is more than anyone has ever accomplished. However, he immediately found his rhythm and defeated French wild card Herbert on Philippe Chatrier Court.

So far this year, Djokovic has not been able to make it to any finals, and his position as the number one player in the world is in danger since Jannik Sinner is on the rise.

He expressed that he came to Roland Garros with "moderate anticipations and strong aspirations" subsequent to experiencing some unusual losses this year.

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However, everything appeared to be working properly during the match against Herbert. Despite putting up a solid fight, Herbert was not able to pose a significant threat to the Serbian player. It is worth noting that the Serbian player has an impressive record of winning 72 out of 74 first-round matches in Grand Slam tournaments.

The only exciting moment occurred during the third set, when Djokovic fell down near the net and was greeted with jeers from the typically amiable Paris audience while he wiped himself dry.

"It's natural, the vibe," he stated to the audience later, before interpreting his statement as "It's understandable, the ambiance. Thanks for creating such an amazing atmosphere."

Novak Djokovic, who has won the Roland Garros tournament three times, is set to play against Roberto Carballes Baena from Spain during the second round.

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Ruud's French Open Quest Starts With A Win

Casper Ruud, a contender who had previously made it to second place twice, defeated Felipe Meligeni Alves, a Brazilian qualifier, in consecutive sets and finally achieved some family vengeance.

During the 1995 Swedish Open, held in Bastad, Fernando Meligeni, who is the uncle of Meligeni Alves, won the championship title by defeating Christian Ruud, who is the father of Ruud.

Ruud stated that both his father and he were keen on seeking revenge. He also mentioned that it was a satisfactory experience after waiting for several years. Finally, they had the opportunity to fulfill their desire today.

Having recently emerged victorious in Geneva, the tennis player who holds the 7th spot in global rankings and has been a finalist in three major Grand Slams appeared self-assured while playing on the clay court in Paris. With almost 90% of his first serves hitting the spot, he managed to defeat the Brazilian opponent in less than two hours.

Ruud stated that this tournament is of great importance to him and every other participant each year. He considers it to be one of his most memorable experiences.

"I'm excitedly anticipating it. The prior two years have bestowed upon me an abundance of blessings while here in Paris. I aspire to have yet another amazing year."

In my opinion, this clay season has been satisfactory for me. The tournaments in Madrid and Rome didn't proceed as successively as I had anticipated. Nevertheless, I was able to achieve positive outcomes in other competitions. Overall, I'm content with my performance.

Ruud, who reached the finals but lost in the previous two French Open tournaments, managed to gain three chances to break his opponent's serve at a score of 3-2. He got more break opportunities in the next game and finally, on his seventh attempt, succeeded in breaking the Brazilian player's serve, making it 5-3 and winning the first set.

Alves had successfully kept up with Ruud's strong play for nearly an hour, but as time went on, Alves began to make more errors. Meanwhile, Ruud remained in control and did not allow Alves to earn any points in the second set.

Ruud took an early lead in the third set, giving him a clear advantage. He went on to win the match 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in less than two hours.

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