Novak Djokovic bothered by weather in French Open first-round win
PARIS — Novak Djokovic experienced the lowest of lows — pulling out of the French Open after tearing the meniscus in his right knee — and the highest of highs — winning a long-sought Olympic gold medal for Serbia — at Roland-Garros last year. This trip to the site went smoothly, once he got going.
Other than some first-set interruptions by, and lengthy discussions about, the windy, wet weather, the 24-time major champion was unbothered during a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory over 98th-ranked Mackie McDonald of the United States at Court Philippe-Chatrier in the first round.
'He makes it seem like a video game, almost, for him,' said McDonald, a 30-year-old Californian who played college tennis at UCLA and twice has been to the fourth round at Grand Slam tournaments. 'He's able to just do so much. I don't even think he was playing his best tennis or his highest level. But if I pushed him to a different point, he would bring it up.'
One example: When McDonald earned his first break points, getting to love-40 at 3-2 in the second set, Djokovic came up with three big serves, a 120 mph (193 kph) ace, a 123 mph (199 kph) ace and a 122 mph (197 kph) service winner.
Djokovic compiled 32 winners — 18 more than McDonald — and just 20 unforced errors in a match that eventually was played with the lights on and the retractable roof closed.
'I'm a competitor, and losing stings,' McDonald said, 'but playing Novak on that court is something I'll remember.'
Before Djokovic, who just turned 38 and won his 100th career title last weekend, walked onto the playing surface, he was identified by the stadium announcer by his total number of Slam trophies, the three he's won at the French Open, and the Summer Games gold he won 'here in Paris.'
'I still remember last year's Olympic Games. It was the last time I was here,' Djokovic said afterward. 'The emotion is very strong.'
The medal that means so much to him?
'I don't have the medal with me. But I have a picture of the medal in my bag,' he said. 'The medal is with my father. My dad likes trophies more than I do, so I gave him mine.'
What else happened at the French Open on Tuesday?
Once Coco Gauff found her rackets — a relatively important piece of equipment for a tennis player — all was well for her in the first round. Gauff showed up on court, opened her bag and peered inside to find it was missing her rackets. The start of the warmup was delayed, but then everything went Gauff's way, and the 2023 U.S. Open champion got past Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-2.
Other winners included the No. 3 seeds, Jessica Pegula and Alexander Zverev, and 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva, but 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, who was seeded 11th, lost to Cam Norrie 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 1-6, 7-5 across nearly four hours.
Other seeded men were sent home when 18-year-old João Fonseca dispatched No. 30 Hubert Hurkacz 6-2, 6-4, 6-2, and when No. 16 Grigor Dimitrov quit while leading American qualifier Ethan Quinn two sets to one. This is the fourth consecutive major tournament at which Dimitrov retired.
Who is playing at Roland-Garros on Wednesday?
The second round begins on Day 4, with a schedule that includes defending champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz, 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini and two-time finalist Casper Ruud. Swiatek meets 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu in the day session's last match in the main stadium.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
22 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Canadian teen Victoria Mboko falls to Olympic champ Zheng Qinwen at French Open
PARIS - Canadian teen Victoria Mboko's breakthrough Grand Slam run came to an end Friday at the French Open. The 18-year-old from Toronto was beaten 6-3, 6-4 by No. 8 seed Zheng Qinwen of China in third-round action at Roland Garros. Mboko, ranked No. 333 at the start of the year, had surged into the spotlight with three straight wins in qualifying and two more in the main draw — all in straight sets — before running into Zheng, an Australian Open finalist who won Olympic gold in singles last summer on these same Paris clay courts. Zheng won 70 per cent of her first-serve points and saved six of eight break points. Mboko was broken four times and won only 38 per cent of her second-serve points. Still, it was a major step forward for Mboko in her Grand Slam main-draw debut. She'll officially enter the WTA's top 100 when the tournament wraps. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025.
Fox Sports
28 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
French Open tennis players say nasal strips aren't just for snoring
Associated Press PARIS (AP) — If more tennis players find themselves breathing easier, it might just be thanks to Carlos Alcaraz. The four-time Grand Slam champion, whose bid for a second consecutive French Open title was scheduled to continue with a third-round match Friday night, has often worn a nasal strip in matches since last season — although not during his first two contests at Roland-Garros this week — and the sport's other athletes took note. After all, if Alcaraz finds something useful on the court, their thinking goes, maybe it makes sense to give the adhesive bands a shot. 'I saw Carlos playing in it,' said 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva, a semifinalist in Paris last year and the No. 6 women's seed this time. 'I'd be pretty interested to try and see if there is really a difference. If he plays matches in it, then probably there is.' At the 2024 season-ending ATP Finals last November, Alcaraz said: 'It is something that I'm going to wear more often. I could recover better between points.' Once associated with Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice and soccer stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, the bands, which essentially look like a Band-Aid worn across the bridge of the nose, are popping up on tennis courts — sometimes out of necessity, sometimes out of curiosity. They are designed to open the nostrils slightly, making it easier to breathe through the nose. Originally marketed to reduce snoring, they're being embraced to enhance air intake during physical exertion. The idea is simple: Better breathing could mean better oxygen intake. In practice, the science is less convincing. In 2021, Brazilian academic Ricardo Dinardi reviewed more than 600 studies on nasal strips and found they didn't make a real difference in how much air athletes took in, their heart rate or how strenuous exercise felt. 'The effect on athletic performance is mostly placebo,' Dinardi said. 'But in elite sports, even perceived benefits can count.' Three-time major finalist Casper Ruud, who wore the strips in matches earlier this year, knows the evidence is shaky. But he still liked using them — both on the court and while sleeping. Like Alcaraz, Ruud did not wear one in Paris before his second-round exit. But he has been testing a prototype of a different version. 'I tried out a device that's very early in development. It will be a bit more comfortable to wear, because it's inside the nose and it looks like I have this bullring under,' said Ruud, who was the runner-up at Roland-Garros to Rafael Nadal in 2022 and Novak Djokovic in 2023. 'It will return, don't worry.' For other players, like Nicolas Jarry, the strips are more than a trend — they're a necessity. After nasal surgery in 2020, the Chilean still needed help to draw air into his nose, so he puts them on for every practice and every match he plays. 'Without it, I cannot breathe. My nostrils shut when I try,' he said, inhaling to demonstrate for a reporter. 'Others don't have that issue and still use them.' Jarry definitely has noticed a recent spike in interest among players. He said that even though he's worn the strips for years, including at this French Open, other competitors on tour never asked about them — until Alcaraz started wearing one last year, sometimes in black, sometimes in pink. 'Others have asked me, and many are trying it," said Jarry, who sported a beige-colored strip in Paris. "But before him? Nothing.' There are those, like 2024 US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula, who are tempted to try. 'I have a horrible deviated septum. I can't really breathe out of one side of my nose," said Pegula, who will play 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the third round Saturday. 'Maybe I should start wearing one.' She admits, though, that the aesthetic aspect might be a deal-breaker. 'I don't know," Pegula said with a smile, 'if I have the confidence to rock one.' ___ AP Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich contributed. ___ AP tennis:
USA Today
29 minutes ago
- USA Today
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes addresses his flag football status for the Olympics
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes addresses his flag football status for the Olympics One of the most significant news updates following the owners' meetings was the approval of NFL players to participate in flag football at the upcoming Olympics. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes expressed a desire to play two years ago and updated his preference during Thursday's press conference. "It's awesome, honestly. Just to be able to showcase the NFL to the whole world through flag football, but I'll probably leave that to the younger guys," said Mahomes, "I'll be a little old by the time that thing comes around." Each country's National Olympic Committee will select its Olympic roster based on proposals from the respective National Federations. The NFL's ability to send players will likely include some changes to accommodate training camps, but the two-time league MVP won't be interested in 2028. "I know first-hand that the inclusion of flag football in the Olympics has sparked a tremendous amount of excitement among NFL players interested in the chance to compete for their country on the world stage. said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a statement last week." We are thrilled that they will now have that chance." Mahomes, now a father of three, would be 32 by the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. He could change his mind, but if he could compete, it would be a thrill for Chiefs fans and the league.
