Djokovic begins Paris defence with night session win

Novak Djokovic took the first step towards the defence of his Roland Garros title on Tuesday night as he held off Frenchman Pierre Hugues Hubert 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-4.

The world No. 1 needs to reach the final in Paris if he wants to prevent Italy’s Jannik Sinner from taking over the top spot for the first time.

Djokovic reached the second round on his first match point after two and a half hours as he aims for a 25th Grand Slam singles title.

No. 142 Herbert owns two doubles trophies here but has yet to make an impression in singles; he was playing his home major for the first time since 2021.

The Serb winner is playing the event for the 20th straight edition and now owns 93 wins.

The 37-year-old has reached the quarter-finals or better every year since 2010 and now stands 20-0 in first round Paris encounters; he last lot a set in the first round in 2010.

Djokovic has won the event three times but is so far without a title in a sub-par 2024 season.

“I thought it was a good performance for me, solid,” Djokovic said. “Of
course I could have done better on return games, but also credit to him for serving very well, for changing things up.

“I’m glad that I started the way I started, the way I felt on the court. 

“Comparing to the previous weeks of tournaments I played, I felt good, better. So I’m moving in a positive direction.

“It’s just the beginning.”