Djokovic beats former coach's new pupil at French Open

By: AFP
Published: 10:16 PM, 25 May, 2022
Djokovic beats former coach's new pupil at French Open
Caption: Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning against Slovakia's Alex Molcan at the end of their men's singles match on day four of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Suzanne-Lenglen in Paris.
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World number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic eased into the French Open third round on Wednesday by defeating the new pupil of his former long-time coach.

Top seed Djokovic saw off Slovakia's Alex Molcan, who is coached by Marian Vajda, the man who inspired most of his 20 Slam titles, 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).

Djokovic fired 10 aces and 40 winners past his 38th-ranked opponent and will next face Slovenia's Aljaz Bedene for a place in the last 16.

"It was a real pleasure to play on Court Suzanne Lenglen. I don't have a lot of opportunities to play here," said the 35-year-old.

"I could feel the support. There were tricky conditions today with a lot of wind coming in different directions.

"So I had to stay focused and stay patient."

"I have a lot of respect for Alex, he's a specialist on this surface."

Agence France-Presse is an international news agency.