PARIS (AP), — All times local: The latest on the French Open tennis tournament
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11:45 p.m.
Novak Djokovic said he intends to defend his title at Wimbledon and supports the decision of the ATP men’s tour to withhold ranking point from that tournament to show unity among players — although the move will negatively impact his position as the No. 1 spot.
Djokovic called the ban on Russian and Belarusian players by the All England Club over the invasion of Ukraine “a mistake” and stated that Wimbledon organizers had done a poor job communicating the issue.
He stated that he believed there was room for compromise, but it is now a “lose-lose” situation for everyone.
Djokovic answered a reporter’s query after his victory in the first round at the French Open Monday night.
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11:05 p.m.
Novak Djokovic won his first Grand Slam match in 7 1/2 month. It went as smoothly as it could.
The No. The No. 1 seed Djokovic won his title defense at French Open by beating Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3 6-1,6-0 in less than two hours. In the first round of Roland Garros, he improved to 18-0 for his career.
Djokovic’s most uncomfortable moment was when spectators booed him after he yelled at them after he won points in the second round.
Rain prevented Court Philippe Chatrier’s retractable roof from being open for the match on Monday night.
Djokovic turned 35 on Sunday. He is seeking a third title at Paris and a 21st Grand Slam trophy in total, which would tie him to Rafael Nadal for men’s record.
Djokovic hadn’t been in a major tournament in over a year since losing to Daniil Mevedev in September’s U.S. Open final. This ended Djokovic’s attempt to win the first calendar-year Grand Slam for men since 1969.
Djokovic was unable to compete at the Australian Open in January due to his decision not get vaccinated for COVID-19. The French Open does not have a vaccine requirement.
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10 p.m.
Novak Djokovic will be on court for his first round match against Yoshihito Nishoka. This is the only French Open contest that is still being played.
Because of Monday’s showers, they are playing at Court Philippe chatrier with the retractable roof closed.
Djokovic won the first set with a score of 6-3.
Roland Garros has no other courts, so the matches of 10 others were in progress when they were stopped for the night due to rain and darkness. These contests will resume on Tuesday.
Some players were able to advance even though action was stopped Monday, including Grand Slam champions Angelique Kerber, Marin Cilic and Bianca Andreescu.
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8:40 p.m.
U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu made her French Open debut with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Linda Noskova, Czech qualifier.
Raducanu, 12th seed, trailed by one set. He then lost a set in the second set twice. Then, he came back to win in over 2 1/2 hours against a player trying to replicate the upset Raducanu pulled off at Flushing Meadows last summer.
Raducanu, an 18-year old participant in the U.S. Open was the first qualifier for a major tennis trophy.
She faced Noskova (17 years old) at Roland Garros on Monday. Noskova is ranked 184th. This was her Grand Slam debut, having qualified for qualifying.
Noskova was the youngest female player in the women’s field and won the Paris junior title in 2021. She would have been the first qualifier against a player as high as No. Raducanu defeated No. 12 at a major. 11 Belinda Bencic at U.S. Open.
6:05 p.m.
Rafael Nadal, with all his aches and pains, reached the second round at the French Open.
Jordan Thompson was defeated by the 13-time Roland Garros champion 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 in Round 1 on Court Philippe chatrier.
Nadal won the Australian Open’s men’s record 21st Grand Slam title, but he only recently recovered from a rib injury which has been bothering him since March.
His left foot has been suffering from chronic pain. He was unable to attend Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last season, and it again affected him during his loss on clay in Rome.
Next, Nadal will face Corentin Mutet, a French wild card entry, who defeated Stan Wawrinka, 2015 French Open champion, 2-6, 6-3 and 7-6 (2).
The Polish player who won the French Open title 2020 beat LesiaTsurenko 6-2 and 6-0 in the first round at Court Phillipe Chatrier.
Swiatek’s streak of wins is the longest since Serena Williams, who won 34 consecutively in 2013. She has won the title in five of her previous tournaments.
Swiatek also won 14 sets at 6-0 this year, a record for the tour.
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12:45 p.m.
Naomi Osaka’s French Open return has been completed in the first round.
She lost 7-5 to Amanda Anisimova, the former top-ranked player, at Roland Garros on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam winner, took two mental health breaks last year. One of those was when Osaka withdrew from her match at the French Open’s second round.
Anisimova, a 20-year old American, reached the French Open semifinals. Osaka was also defeated in the third round of the Australian Open in January.
Osaka double-faulted twice at break point. Once in each set. Osaka led 4-3 after the second set, but Anisimova held. Osaka was now leading 40-0 in the next match.
Osaka used tape to cover her left Achilles. When she broke in the seventh game, Osaka was stretching the tape and kicking it with the right foot.
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11:00 a.m.
Day 2 at Roland Garros features a lot of big names and some rain.
Naomi Osaka will be starting things at Court Suzanne Lenglen to take on Amanda Anisimova, the American player who beat Naomi at the Australian Open in January.
Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam Champion who was formerly ranked No. After taking two mental health breaks, Osaka dropped to No. 1 in the rankings. This included the one she took when she withdrew from her match in the second round of French Open.
Court Philippe Chatrier will host a parade featuring top players. It is the only clay-court arena that has a retractable roof. This includes Barbora Krejcikova and Rafael Nadal, as well as Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic at night.
