Novak Djokovic delivered another performance that could be described as solid to reach the third round of the 2023 Roland Garros.
Sometimes, we see the biggest favourites, especially on the ATP Tour, lose one or two sets in long best-of-five format at Grand Slam tournaments. But it's often the case that the more the tournament progresses, the better they play.
Therefore, focus during the early rounds is cruising as smoothly as possible, and that's certainly something that Djokovic managed to do in his first-round match against Aleksandar Kovacevic. But in the second round, he took on a bit more experienced opponent, Marton Fucsovics from Hungary.
The two met four times in the past and the Serb won in all of their previous meetings, but three times Fucsovics took a set from the 22-time Grand Slam champion. But on the clay in Paris, Djokovic wanted to avoid that despite having to face backlash after his message earlier.
The first set of the match was a real rollercoaster and both players had multiple chances to win the set. The Hungarian had a total of nine break points but he used only one of his chances, resulting in a same number of breaks that Djokovic was able to produce with only four break points.
Therefore, the first set had to be decided in a tie-break, and that's when Djokovic managed to focus and battle his nervousness. The third seed won the tie-break 7-2, entering the second set with more confidence.
And the confidence certainly showed in the remainder of the match. After winning the tie-break, Djokovic won the following seven games, winning the second set 6-0 and even taking the first game of the third set.
The 36-year-old continued his dominance, ultimately winning 7-6(2), 6-0, 6-3 to reach the third round of the 2023 Roland Garros. Up next, he will meet the 29th-seeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, and he'll want to avoid similar nerves early on in his third-round match as he admitted to it in the post-match press conference.
"Well, I think because it was 7-6 in one-and-a-half hours, I mean, if I'm not nervous on the court, there is two reasons, or I'm very loose and comfortable and confident, or I don't care much about playing or winning."
"Nervousness is part of my job, is part of what I do. Sometimes I express it; sometimes I internalize it. You know, at times, you know, I chat with myself. At times I chat with my team. Important thing is that whatever happens, that you manage to kind of regroup and go ahead in the right direction."
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