Novak Djokovic made his way to the third round of Roland Garros 2024 after defeating Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4, 6-1 and 6-2 at Court Philippe-Chatrier on Thursday.
Djokovic was at his best today as at one point during the game, he broke Baena’s serve five consecutive times as he recorded a straight sets win. The performance is a major boost for the Serb who has struggled greatly in the 2024 season so far.
With 24 Grand Slams to his name, the Serb is in pursuit of his 25th major and fourth French Open, he will now face either Gael Monfils or 30th seed Lorenzo Musetti in the next round.
“I’m glad that I came through the opening [two] rounds in straight sets,” Djokovic said. “Again, at the beginning, in the first set, I was challenged. He was playing very well, aggressive from the start. It took me a little bit of time to start swinging through the ball a bit more loose. Crucial break to clinch the first set. After that, the second and third set really went my way.”
Djokovic hasn’t won a title in the 2024 season as he was knocked out of the Australian Open 2024 by the eventual winner Jannik Sinner in the semi-final and struggled in other tournaments.
Earlier in the first round, Djokovic triumphed over French wild card Pierre-Hugues Herbert with a commanding 3-0 victory.
The match, held at the iconic Roland Garros Stadium, saw the defending champion's precision and resilience shine through as he clinched the first set 6-4.
142-ranked Herbert, buoyed by the home crowd, put up a fierce fight in the second set, pushing Djokovic to a tie-breaker. However, the Serb’s experience prevailed, winning the tie-breaker 7-3 to take the second set 7-6.
In the third set, Herbert continued to challenge the Serbian star, but Djokovic maintained his composure to secure another 6-4 set win, sealing his advance to the second round.
