French Open 2023: Novak Djokovic reaches second round, 23rd Grand Slam claim alive, see

You can assume that Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic’s opponents in the first round of the French Open 2023 will walk away from their straight-set defeats on Monday feeling underwhelmed by the tournament play of the two favourites. You would be wrong.

Forget scores and point-by-point descriptions on a windy day at Roland Garros for a moment. Sure enough, it turned out that No. 1 seed Alcaraz, the defending US Open champion, defeated 159th-ranked qualifier Flavio Coboli, a 21-year-old from Florence, Italy. And sure enough it turned out that No. 3 Djokovic, a 22-time major winner, edged out 114th-ranked Aleksandar Kovacevic, a 24-year-old who grew up in New York City and is now based in Florida.

And naturally, both Koboli and Kovacevic admitted to initially feeling a little nervous heading into their Grand Slam debut in huge arenas against some elite players. “I started off a bit dazed because of the emotions,” Koboli said after the 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 loss.

“There were times there, I looked up and took everything in. I made sure of it, because it’s an experience I’ll definitely keep with me forever,” Kovacevic said after the 6-3, 6-2 win. Will keep.” , 7-6 (1) loss. “Getting lost in the crowd is not the best thing in the world. You really start to see everyone there – and that’s when the nerves kick in.

let’s go ! Idemo! , #Roland Garros pic.twitter.com/FE9mmMIGt3— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) May 29, 2023

But what they both wanted to clarify afterward was that, yes, Alcaraz and Djokovic are exceptionally talented, but, no, it didn’t seem impossible to find opportunities to exploit. “It’s definitely intimidating. Watching him grow up on TV, it’s hard not to look beyond him and know what he’s accomplished. But from a tennis perspective, it’s not supernatural,” said Kovacevic, who was 7 years old when he first met Djokovic and later practiced with him during the 2021 US Open after playing college tennis at the University of Illinois. “The things he does well, he does incredibly well, But the ball he hits – it’s not blowing me completely off the court, which was somewhat surprising to be honest.”

easy in round 1 for seeds

Other seeded men who advanced to the second day in Paris included No. 8 Jannik Sinner, No. 12 Frances Tiafoe, No. 14 Cam Norrie and No. 15 Borna Coric. Among the seeded women advancing to the second round: No. 5 Caroline Garcia, No. 14 Beatriz Haddad Maia, No. 20 Madison Keys and No. 22 Donna Vekic. The outgoing seeds included No. 10 Petra Kvitova, No. 12 Belinda Bencic and No. 16 Karolina Pliskova in the women’s section, as well as No. 10 Felix Auger-Aliassime and No. 25 Bottic Van de Zandschulp in the men’s.

With 14-time champion Rafael Nadal ruled out with a hip injury, Alcaraz and Djokovic are the favorites for the men’s title and could clash in the semi-finals. If Djokovic wins the trophy, he will achieve his 23rd place in the Slam and break the tie for the men’s record that he and Nadal currently share.

Koboli’s first career match on the lower-level ATP Challenger Tour was a qualifying loss against Alcaraz in Italy in August 2000. ,

“It’s impressive how he handles himself at crucial points. It’s one of his best qualities. His ball speed is faster than most players in this tournament. It’s very difficult to foul him,” Koboli said. “But like all of us human beings, he has his weak sides.”

This is probably why both these contests were initially one-sided – “at the start of the match,” Alcaraz said, “I felt invincible – and added a bit of intrigue later on.” Alcaraz had three match points to close things out at 5-3 in the third set, but could not convert, then found himself at 5-all minutes later. Djokovic held serve in the third to end their match at 5–4, but was broken there too to settle at 5–all.

Djokovic said, ‘Made me work hard for my victory.

In both instances, to no one’s surprise, the highly rated player held his own and sealed the deal. Before coming to Paris, the last tournament entered by both Koboli and Kovacevic was an ATP Challenger Tour event in Turin. Koboli made the case that the talent there was no different from her first foray into a Grand Slam bracket.

“I don’t think there is much distance between us and them. They have something to spare, so in the end, they take home the win,” he said. “But we can play with them.”