And the Serb, was making news after the match – claiming that players participating at this Summer Olympics should get ranking points. Despite that, the world number one takes the opener 6-4. I thought I found my rhythm. And No. 5 Victoria Azarenka, one of the only other two women who defeated Williams this season, bowed out in the first round, too, stopping because of an injured right knee while trailing 4-0 in the third set against 118th-ranked Karen Knapp of Italy.
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Kerber lost her opening matches in Madrid and Rome and has been struggling with a shoulder injury that prevented her from playing at Nuremberg last week.
“That was, for sure, not my best tennis”, she said.
“It’s obvious that was a good start for me”, Nadal, who suffered only his second career loss at Roland Garros previous year when beaten by Djokovic in the quarter-finals, said.
“First rounds are always tough in the tournament, especially for me”. She spent a lot more time on court, needing almost two hours to get past 82nd-ranked Anett Kontaveit 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4).
But the 37-year-old was not willing to blow his chance at the big upset, keeping this play alive with a defensive lob, and then he is able to unleash a wicked backhand passing shot in the fifth set, as the two combatants remain on serve. Djoker wins it in 90 minutes, 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 is the final.
The world number one followed Andy Murray onto Court Philippe Chatrier but there was none of the drama of the Scot’s five-set win over Radek Stepanek as Djokovic eased to a 6-4 6-1 6-1 victory against Lu Yen-hsun.
“Today was pretty, you know, stressful”, said Murray, who engaged in his usual mix of gesticulating and grousing.
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In the end, though, Murray eked out a 3-6, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3, 7-5 win. And the Czech plays to the crowd.
