What Agassi, an eight-time Grand Slam victor and 1999 French Open champion, will have made of the performance is hard to know, with Djokovic simultaneously brilliant and frustrated in equal measure. Roger Federer misses out injured, but Rafa Nadal, Andy Murray and defending champ Stan Wawrinka are all here.
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― Reuters picPARIS, May 31 ― Spaniard Rafael Nadal, seeking a record-extending 10th title at the French Open, faces big-serving Dutchman Robin Haase in the second round today.
Rafael Nadal began his quest for tenth French Open title in resounding fashion.
“So that’s all. I’m going to try to use the time spent with him as best as I can, as best as we can”.
Title-holder Djokovic strolled through his opener against Marcel Granollers of Spain, advancing 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
But that would be the last memory for the Spaniard who dropped serve once more to confirm Djokovic’s place in the second round.
Nadal, who is seeded fourth, says: “I won here nine times, and every year that I won I was unbelievably happy, but every year that I come back, I was unbelievably nervous”. “I saw that there were similarities in the ways we think”, Djokovic said, citing “different approach in terms of energy management” and exploring “new things” as his rationales.
Sock – who was born in Nebraska, grew up in Kansas and now is based in Florida – did not offer much in the way of specific explanations for what he thought went wrong.
Under watchful eye of new coach Andre Agassi, Djokovic looked his comfortable self as he begins quest to defend the title he won previous year in fourth attempt.
After becoming No. 1 a year ago, Andy Murray has been struggling in 2017, but he’ll try to right himself starting in the French Open’s first round against Andrey Kuznetsov on Tuesday.
– Caroline Wozniacki, the 11th seed, beat Australian teenager Jaimee Fourlis 6-4 3-6 6-2.
Other seeded men advancing included No. 7 Marin Cilic and No. 10 David Goffin, while No. 14 Jack Sock, the top-ranked United States of America man, and No. 31 Gilles Simon – both in Nadal’s section of the draw – plus No. 32 Mischa Zverev all lost.
“It is an incredible honour and good luck to have him with me on the team”, Djokovic said.
A chance phone call led to Djokovic sounding out Agassi, who agreed to work with the Serb on a temporary basis – but only after persuasion from his wife and former tennis legend Steffi Graf.
Defending champion and world No. 2 Novak Djokovic faces a clash with Portuguese Joao Sousa, and 10th-seeded Williams is up against Japan’s Kurumi Nara. “I feel like my grand slam results have been pretty good”.
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Nine-time Roland Garros champion Nadal takes on Dutchman Robin Haase on Philippe Chatrier Court with the Spanish fourth seed having seen off Benoit Paire easily in his Paris opener. The fourth seed never looked in danger of joining Russian Anastasia Myskina as the only reigning women’s champion to lose in the opening round of the claycourt grand slam. He has been through that and he has a lot to share with me outside and inside of the tennis lines.
