The noh 1 Novak Djokovic was slow to find his bearings as he started his season on clay, but he eventually managed to defeat Russia’s Ivan Gakhov 7-6 (5), 6-2 at the Tennis Masters of Monte Carlo, Tuesday.
The holder of two titles won in the principality of Monaco had not played a match since losing to Russian Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships five weeks ago – a loss that had snapped the defending Australian Open champion’s 20-game winning streak.
The 35-year-old Serb, who was ousted in the first round last year in Monte Carlo, lacked consistency in the first set, and it took time to regain his composure on this playing surface which has the reputation for being rather slow. He played more aggressively in the second set and stole Gakhov’s serve to take a 3-2 lead before racing straight to victory.
“I didn’t play to my full potential, especially in the first set, admitted Djokovic, who saved three of the four break points offered to the Russian. But in the end, I’m happy with how I handled the important moments. »
The “Djoker” will face in the next round the winner of the match between the Italians Lorenzo Musetti and Luca Nardi.
For his part, Stefanos Tsitsipas, who covets a third title in a row in Monegasque territory, took advantage of the abandonment of Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi when he was leading 4-1 to reach the third round. The second seed will face the winner of the match between Chilean Nicolas Jarry and Australian Alexei Popyrin in the next round.
Earlier on Tuesday, Alexander Zverev started his season on clay by beating Alexander Bublik 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.
German, 13e seeded, stepped onto clay for the first time since injuring his right ankle in his French Open semi-final match last year against Spaniard Rafael Nadal.
Zverev said it took him time to “heal the psychological wounds” associated with the incident and relearn how to slide on this playing surface.
Despite this, Zverev only committed nine unforced errors and fired 21 winners on the Rainier III court, setting the stage for a second-round duel against Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.
Grigor Dimitrov, who reached the semi-finals of this tournament on two occasions, also continued after beating American Ben Shelton 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. The 20-year-old was playing the first match of his career in Monte Carlo and he did not disappoint, challenging Dimitrov a few times during the duel which continued for over two hours.
Dimitrov will face the Czech Jiří Lehečka in the next round.
Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, the second player in the world, and Quebecer Félix Auger-Aliassime (noh 7) have all skipped this tournament.