Tennis – Djokovic continues his good form with victory over Herbert in Paris

Tennis – Djokovic continues his good form with victory over Herbert in Paris

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PARIS (Reuters) – Defending tennis champion Novak Djokovic erased any doubts about his fitness by beating Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-4 in his first round match at the French Open on Tuesday.

The top seed had to wait until the third night of the tournament to begin his quest for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title in the Open Era, but he quickly recovered to beat French wildcard Herbert on Court Philippe Chatrier.

The 37-year-old Djokovic has not reached a final this year and his world number one ranking is under threat from Jannik Sinner.

But everything seemed to be going well against Herbert, who put up a stiff resistance but never overly threatened the Serb, who has won 72 of his 74 first-round Grand Slam matches.

His only misstep came in the second set, when Djokovic broke serve early but then dropped his own, forcing the match into a tiebreak, before stepping up his game and cruising to victory.

“He gave me a lot of trouble with his serve, serve-and-volley but I'm happy with my performance,” Djokovic told Eurosport.

“At this age, you never know how long you'll be able to play at this level, so I look at every game as a great opportunity.”

Djokovic, who lost to Alejandro Tabilo and Tomáš Macak in Rome and Geneva respectively, said he had high hopes but low expectations going into the French Open.

But while he may have downplayed his chances, Grand Slam tournaments are a different story.

“I've said this since the beginning of the year, the Grand Slam tournaments basically get me out of bed every day and make me realize I have to get on the practice court,” he said.

Djokovic broke Herbert's serve with a powerful forehand winner early in the first set and took the first set in 37 minutes.

But Djokovic briefly lost his rhythm in the second set as Herbert, a two-time French Open doubles champion, began to vary his serve and attack the net, chipping away at Djokovic's control.

The top seed fought a near-perfect tiebreak, roaring victory after a few points and then, despite dogged resistance from Herbert, winning was a formality.

Djokovic created match point with a stunning backhand winner before Herbert ended the match with a double fault.

Djokovic, a three-time French Open champion, will face Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena in the second round.

(Reporting by Martin Harman; Editing by Claire Fallon and Lincoln Feast)