Novak Djokovic will be playing in the second round of the 2023 Roland Garros after beating Aleksandar Kovacevic.
One of the main worries for the Serb ahead of the major in the French capital was certainly his health. During this year's clay-court season, he struggled with an elbow issue, and even in his pre-tournament press conference, he admitted that age plays a factor in a longer recovery.
But there's also one important factor that makes Djokovic play and try his best, and that's the fact that history is on the line. He can become the first-ever man to win 23 Grand Slam titles and it can happen already in Paris.
But prior to the tournament, Djokovic admitted that he doesn't feel like a favourite. He dismissed the pressure and rather put it on his younger colleague on the ATP Tour, the first-seeded Carlos Alcaraz.
But like everyone else in the draw, the 22-time major winner has his eyes on the trophy, and he started well in the first round. Taking on 24-year-old Aleksandar Kovacevic, Djokovic knew that his opponent can prove to be dangerous.
And even though that was not the case early on, the Serb saw his opponent's qualities later in the match. In the first set, Djokovic had two break points and using one of those was enough for him to secure the set 6-3.
He kept serving really well also in the second set, losing no more than one point on any of his serves. Moreover, he converted to of his five break points, winning the second set 6-2, and seemingly setting up the scene for a comfortable win.
But the third set proved to be a bit more challenging than Djokovic probably expected. He lost a one-break advantage twice and if the wanted to win the match in three sets, he had to win a tie-break.
The 36-year-old, who celebrated his birthday last week, managed to do that, winning the match 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(1) to set up a second-round clash with Hugo Grenier from France.
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