Novak Djokovic played a tactically sound match against Gael Monfils at the 2022 Madrid Open, to move into the third round in straight sets.
The Serbian player arrived in Madrid with high hopes but also understanding that he might have issues. In his first match, however, after having a first-round bye, he took on a player he had defeated 17 times before meeting him again at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in the Spanish capital.
The match opened slowly, as both seemed tense early on, and fans at La Caja Magica saw quite a few unforced errors by both players in the opening games.
Already in the third game, Monfils had a few break points, but the top seed was able to save them. The Frenchman was playing his typical defensive style which Djokovic knew how to attack.
The match was tied when it was suspended for 30 minutes due to rain. Upon returning, the Serbian player was able to jump out to a lead, breaking his opponent's serve to lead 4-2 in the opening set of the match. Monfils seemed to be quite cold, and he could not find a rhythm quickly enough to avoid the break.
Djokovic won the first set 6-3, dragging Monfils around the court with superb angles. The Frenchman played a bit better in the second set, but so did his opponent, and the Serbian proved just too strong.
Monfils opted for more aggression, but he failed to hit the court consistently. On the other hand, the top seed smartly mixed his strategy, and once he found a rhythm, his forehand and backhand worked great.
Djokovic continued playing the way that troubled his opponent, and thanks to that, he was able to get a relatively simple straight-sets win, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the third round of the 2022 Madrid Open, in which he will play the winner of the match between former world no. 1, Andy Murray, and Denis Shapovalov.
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