Roger Federer was victorious in his French Open match on Monday against Denis Istomin. This 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 victory marked his return to Grand Slam tennis after a slight absence. His reinstatement comes after two knee surgeries which caused him to miss most of the 2020 season. Federer entered the tournament as the eighth seed and was the champion of the tournament in 2009.

“What a pleasure to be back,” said Federer. “Overall I’m very happy [with my movement], I can attest to that, as well. I moved pretty well today. I also kept rallies short purposely so I wouldn’t get dragged into long rallies. Always throw in the drop shot. We’ll see what happens.”

This was Federer’s fourth match and third tournament of the year. He debuted in Geneva and Doha at ATP 250 events, where he claimed two victories and one defeat. His defeat was at the hands of Pablo Andujar, who was ranked 75th internationally. Istomin was ranked 204th in the world, which is the lowest spot of anyone Federer has played against this year.

Federer took down Uzbekistan’s Istomin quite handily, extending his win streak over him to eight. Federer did not face a break point in the contest. He also won 80 percent of his points after converting his first serve. Additionally, he won 15 of 19 points off of his second serve. Federer recorded 48 winners in the match, 15 of which occurred in the first 22 minutes. He even attempted a between-the-legs shot (also known as a “tweener”) but was unsuccessful as he hit the ball out of play. The all-time great was very successful when serving and volleying, winning 79 percent of his net points (19 of 24). The crowd at Court Phillipe Chatrier, although limited to 1,000 people, showered Federer with applause

“I just felt overall much clearer, much better,” Federer said. “Clearly also maybe the type of opponent allowed me to have many different ways to win the point. I knew if I came to the net, that was an option. Hitting a drop shot was always an option. Taking the ball early was an option,” reflected Federer.

His victory moves him to the second round of the French Open, as he looks for another win in his Grand Slam return. Federer will face Croatian Marin Cilic, who defeated Arthur Rinderknetch in the first round 7-6 (6), 6-1. 6-2.

Cilic is currently ranked 47th in the world and will face Federer for the 11th time. Federer has won nine of the 10 meetings between the two athletes, however, Cilic has won all nine matches he has played in 2021. It will be difficult for Cilic to extend his 2021 win streak against one of the best players to ever take the court. Cilic’s lone victory against Federer came all the way back in 2014, when the Croatian ousted the all-time great from the US Open semi finals. Their last meeting came in the finals of the 2018 Australian Open. Federer won that match in a hard-fought five-set contest 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. Wednesday’s contest will be the duo’s first matchup against each other in the French Open.

It has been three years since the two competitors have faced off. Cilic will be looking for the second-round upset in what should be a great match between the 39-year-old Swiss and the 32-year-old Croatian.

Naomi Osaka of Japan has exited from competing in the 2021 French Open. She announced through Twitter on May 31 that she will “take some time away from the court now.”

Osaka declared that she would not talk to the media before the commencement of the French Open, citing concerns for her own mental health. Osaka was fined $15,000 for refusing to engage with media outlets. This came after she skipped Sunday’s post-match press conference following her win over Patricia Maria Tig.

“We want to underline that rules are in place to ensure all players are treated exactly the same, no matter their stature, beliefs or achievement, said Grand Slam Organizers in a statement. “As a sport there is nothing more important than ensuring no player has an unfair advantage over another, which unfortunately is the case in this situation if one player refuses to dedicate time to participate in media commitments while others honor their commitments.” The Grand Slam Organizers are a coalition of officials from Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open. They went on to say that Osaka would face more consequences if she continually refused to speak to the media.

Osaka further explained her withdrawal from the tournament. “I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris,” Osaka said. “I never wanted to be a distraction, and I accept that my timing was not ideal and our message could have been clearer.”

“First and foremost, we are sorry and sad for Naomi Osaka,” stated Gilles Moretton, who is president of the French Tennis Federation. “The outcome of Naomi withdrawing from Roland Garros is unfortunate. We wish her the best and the quickest possible recovery and we look forward to having Naomi in our tournament next year.” Moretton also assured the media of the Grand Slam’s commitment to the mental health of athletes.

Celebrities such as Stephen Curry and Coco Gauff have shown support for Osaka on social media in the midst of her withdrawal controversy.

It has been 15 years since the first time that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal faced off against each other at the 2004 Miami Open. On Friday, the two men who have won more Grand Slam titles than anyone else in tennis history will square off for the 39th time in their historic rivalry on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the French Open in Paris.

For tennis fans around the globe, this meeting holds special significance. Not just because this is Federer’s first appearance at Roland Garros in four years, and not because this is a Grand Slam semifinal, but with Federer being 37 and Nadal 33, we do not know how many more times these all-time rivals will face one another. On Friday, let’s take a moment to appreciate what could very well be the final installment of one of the greatest competitive rivalries that sports (not only tennis) have ever witnessed.

“If I came back to play on clay, it must have been to play Rafa,” -Roger Federer

Winning 20 Grand Slams is a tremendous, unprecedented feat in tennis history. To think not too long ago, Pete Sampras’ then-record of 14 Grand Slam titles seemed like an almost impossible feat to even consider breaking. As of 2019, three players (Federer, Nadal, and Novak Djokovic) have all broken it. For Federer especially, with his career seemingly in the twilight portion, he has no time to get complacent and dream about retirement. Nadal (17 Grand Slam titles) and Djokovic (15 Grand Slam titles) both stand seemingly leaning over Federer, breathing down his neck. For as long as Roger Federer can still play at a high level, it is imperative that he keeps winning Grand Slams to try and create as much distance between himself and his challengers as possible. For Federer, though, the challenge will not get any easier on Friday.

Nadal leads the all-time head to head against Federer 23-15, including 13-2 on clay, and 5-0 at Roland Garros. “If you want to do something on the clay, inevitably at some stage, you will go through Rafa, because he’s that strong and he will be there”, Federer said to reporters on Tuesday. “I knew that when I signed up for the clay, that hopefully, that was going to happen. If I would have had a different mindset to avoid him, then I should not have played on clay.”

https://twitter.com/TennisPodcast/status/1135954869368578049

One thing that Federer has going for him in his rivalry against Nadal is that Federer has won now six consecutive meetings against the Spaniard dating back to Basel in 2015. Nadal has not won a match against Federer since the 2014 Australian Open semi-finals. Of the six consecutive victories for Federer, none have been larger than their epic five-setter in the 2017 Australian Open final.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW 

That Grand Slam final, which rejuvenated a Roger Federer who had not won a Grand Slam since Wimbledon in 2012, is but a distant memory in 2019. At his press conference on Tuesday, Nadal said when asked about his approach to playing against Federer on the red clay in 2019:

“I really expect that he’s going to play aggressive, changing rhythms going to the net, because he’s playing well, and he has the tennis to make that happen.”

He continued: “I have to be solid. I have to hit the ball strong enough to not allow him to do good things from good positions. I need to let him play from difficult positions, so from there he’s going to have less chances to go to the net or to play his aggressive game.”

This quote all but confirms just how closely Rafael Nadal has been watching his oldest rival’s game, despite it being two years since the pair last met in the 2017 Shanghai Final. For Federer, in anticipation for his match against Nadal, has decided to practice with left-handed hitting partners exclusively. On his approach to playing Rafa, Federer said, “I have played five guys now that are righties, so for me it’s a complete switch around.  Just the way the ball goes out of your strings with the different spins.”

He continued: “It’s just different. So you have to get used to that quickly. Don’t have much time to waste. That’s why you have to be fearless to some extent to take on the spinny balls, the sliding balls, the kicking balls. And that’s what I will do on Friday.”

Will Federer’s aggressive, offensive approach finally earn him a win against Nadal on the red clay of Paris? Or will Nadal’s forehand once again stump Federer like we have seen it do so often in their past meetings? Whatever the outcome, Federer vs. Nadal XXXIX should prove to be another thrilling installment in the twilight of tennis’s two most dominant players in the history of the sport.

Rafael Nadal defeated Stan Wawrinka on Sunday to claim his tenth Roland Garros title and 15th grand slam trophy, and after lauding his coaches, the Spaniard called the victory “special.”

Rafa Nadal beats Stan Wawrinka for 10th Roland Garros, 15th Grand Slam Title

The 31-year-old Nadal — the French Open’s fourth seed — downed his Swiss opponent 6-2 6-3 6-1 in Paris to snap a three-year grand slam drought. Wawrinka, the tournament’s third seed, won the 2016 U.S. Open.

“It’s something very, very special and unique. A very emotional moment,” said Nadal, who prior to Sunday had last won a grand slam trophy at Roland Garros in 2014.  “I’ve had some tough moments with injuries, but that’s part of my career, too. It makes things a little bit more difficult but when you win after all these things, it’s more special.

Novak Djokovic has revealed that he will begin his French Open title defense next week with eight-time major champion Andre Agassi as a mentor.

Novak Djokovic Says Andre Agassi Will Coach Him at French Open

The Serb, who turned 30 on Monday, has struggled to regain his form since finishing the career Grand Slam of all four majors at Roland Garros in 2016. Djokovic, the World No. 2, announced Agassi would be his coach following a 6-4, 6-3 loss to 20-year-old German Alexander Zverev at the Italian Open in Rome on Sunday.

“I spoke to Andre the last couple weeks on the phone, and we decided to get together in Paris,” Djokovic said in a press conference Sunday after his clay-court defeat to Zverev, which came in an hour and 21 minutes.

Djokovic clarified, however, that he and Agassi had not made any sort of long-term deal to work together, and that the 47-year-old American would only be by the Serbian tennis star’s side for a few matches.

“We don’t have any long-term commitment, it’s just us trying to get to know each other a little bit,” the 12-time Grand Slam champion said. “He will not stay the whole tournament. He’s going to stay only to a certain time, and then we’ll see after that what’s going to happen.”

One of Djokovic’s former coaches, three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker, praised the Serb’s hiring of Agassi as a great decision. Becker, a German former World No. 1, left Djokovic’s coaching camp after a three-year tenure by the Serb’s side.

Earlier this month, Djokovic — whose wife Jelena is pregnant with their second child — announced he had parted ways with his entire coaching team, including his tennis coach of seven years Marian Vajda. Djokovic’s staff had been beside him since he won the first of his 31 Masters titles in Miami at the age of 19.

“Andre is someone that I have tremendous respect for as a person and as a player. He has been through everything that I’m going through,” Djokovic said. “He understands the game amazingly well. I am enjoying every conversation that I have with him. Also, he’s someone that nurtures family values, philanthropic work. He’s a very humble man, very educated. He’s a person that can contribute to my life on and off the court a lot. I’m very excited to see what is ahead of us.”

Agassi also revealed his admiration for Djokovic after the Serb fell to American Sam Querrey during the third round of Wimbledon in July 2016.

“Anybody that knows me, knows that I think he should win everything all the time,” Agassi told CNN in July. “That is how he separated himself from everybody. Wimbledon was a surprise, I don’t know the reason. He’s so good that I can actually make the statement that there’s got be a reason why that happened. There just got to be.”

The American legend continued: With that being said, you’ve got to be doing it every day. You can’t have a bad day. I used to have plenty of them. It seems like if he has one of them, it’s shocking. So you hope they don’t happen in the biggest moments. But I do think that he is that much beyond his peers that if he can just pull it together a little bit he’ll be back on top in a hurry.”

Djokovic acknowledged his mediocre performance after losing to Zverev in Rome and lauded the young German — who recorded seven aces on Sunday — for gradually increasing his status as a major tennis star.

“He’s making his mark already,” Djokovic said of the 16th-seeded player, who has now moved into the ATP top ten. “He played great, served great. His backhand was very fast and solid, not many errors at all and a big serve. It was a perfect performance. I played very poor today.”

The French Open, from which Maria Sharapova has been banned due to doping violations, begins on May 28 in Paris.

NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 30: Andre Agassi speaks to the media at the kickoff party announcing their global partnership at NOMO Kitchen on August 30, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Getty Images for Lavazza)

Novak Djokovic made history Sunday after he defeated Britain’s Andy Murray 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-4 in the Roland Garros final.

Novak Djokovic Wins French Open, Completes Grand Slam Collection

The World No. 1 Serb is now the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win four consecutive grand slams. He is also the eighth man to complete the career grand slam, as well as the first man to claim the first two majors in a calendar year since Jim Courier in 1992.

Murray lost after sending a backhand into the net on a third match point, after which Djokovic fell to the court on his back, basking in his victory of the world’s premier clay-court tournament in Paris after losing three times, including last year to Swiss Stan Wawrinka. 

The crowd on Philippe Chatrier court cheered loudly following the win.

“I felt that kind of support and love from the people around that allowed me to be sitting here with the trophy,” Djokovic told reporters. “That kind of support was very well present at the stadium today.”

He drew a heart into the clay with his racket, copying Gustavo Kuerten’s celebration when the Brazilian won the French Open in 2001, and dropped himself in the middle of it. Djokovic, now a 12-time grand-slam champion, received Kuerten’s approval, he stated, while they were filming videos for a tournament partner.

Murray fell to 2-8 in grand slam finals and 2-13 in his past 15 matches against his childhood friend Djokovic.

Meanwhile, Spaniard Garbine Muguruza upset Serena Williams 7-5 6-4 on Saturday to win the first grand slam of her career. Muguruza also stripped the American of tying Steffi Graf’s Open Era record of 22 majors. She is also the first Spanish woman to win the French Open since Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in 1998.

Muguruza’s deadly serve came to her aid more than once in the final, particularly when facing break points in the first set, although she also double faulted nine times. The 22-year-old Venezuelan-born Spaniard secured the title with a stunning lob.

“I’m pretty shocked still,” Muguruza told reporters about 2.5 hours later. “I think I’ve got to take my time and enjoy, because with tennis players it goes so fast. For Spanish people this is the tournament. When you’re a kid and practice on clay, you’re always, ‘Oh, I wish I could win Roland Garros.'”

She made the decision to represent Spain in team competitions just two years ago.

If fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal’s wrist heals in time, he is expected to partner Muguruza in mixed doubles at the Olympics in August.

Williams defeated Muguruza in the Wimbledon final last July but lost to her at the French Open in 2014. The American lost the title for the third straight major.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAgvF9wONAY

PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 05: Novak Djokovic of Serbia hits a forehand during the Men’s Singles final match against Andy Murray of Great Britain on day fifteen of the 2016 French Open at Roland Garros on June 5, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dennis Grombkowski/Getty Images)

Spanish fourth-seed Garbine Muguruza advanced to her first Roland Garros semi-final by finally ending the run of 108th-ranked American Shelby Rogers 7-5 6-3  in Paris on Wednesday.

Garbine Muguruza Advances To French Open Semi-final After Beating Shelby Rogers

Rogers, 23, had been just one point away from taking the first set but surrendered two consecutive breaks to lose it 5-7.

Muguruza gained a 3-0 lead in the second after breaking Rogers’ opening serve, but the South Carolinian somehow summoned newfound strength and accuracy and rallied back to tie it 3-3.

The Spaniard, who reached the Wimbledon final last year, won the final three games in just a few minutes to become the first woman to reach this year’s semi-finals in the French Open.

Rogers had recently appeared to be a strong contender to advance further in the tournament. She eliminated Czech two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the third round.

Muguruza will next face the 2010 runner-up, 21st-ranked Australian Sam Stosur, in Friday’s semi-final.

“I definitely want to keep going,” the 22-year-old Venezuelan-born Spanish player said in an interview on court following her 7-5 6-3 victory. “I wanted so much to win today and hopefully, I can make it to the last day.”

She also added that her coach, Frenchman Sam Sumyk, was feeling good on home territory.

“He is teaching me a little French,” Muguruza said. “But seriously, it’s a disaster.”

She also down-played the effects of the cold, wet weather, saying in a press conference: “I think the players like to play with sunny days and warm weather, but it is what it is.”

Muguruza admitted she didn’t know much about Rogers prior to their quarter-final match, and said she is also unfamiliar with her next opponent. She said although she doesn’t know Stosur very well, she knows she plays very well and that the match will be a challenge.

Stosur defeated Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova 6-4, 7-6 on Wednesday.

Rogers did not seem too crushed by her defeat after an impressive run at the French Open.

“I think both of us just had streaks of playing well and then not playing very well,” she told reporters. “She definitely knew what she wanted to do with the big points. I think that was the biggest thing…

“It’s the biggest match of my life and it’s hard not to think about that. But I thought I handled it pretty well.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzQxddM12Ew

PHOTO: PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 01: Garbine Muguruzu of Spain hits a backhand during the Ladies Singles quarter final against Shelby Rogers of the United States on day eleven of the 2016 French Open at Roland Garros on June 1, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dennis Grombkowski/Getty Images)

Novak Djokovic defeated Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6 6-4 6-1 7-5 in his fourth-round match at Roland Garros in Paris on Tuesday after play was suspended due to rain.

Novak Djokovic Wins Fourth-Round Match At French Open Before Rain Stops Play

The World No. 1 Serb, a three-time finalist who has never won the French Open, struggled in the first set against 14th seed Bautista Agut. Play was temporarily stopped for about three hours at approximately 12:47 local time after inclement weather yet again marred the tournament.

Djokovic, 29, admitted that coach Boris Becker and the rest of his team had helped him turn the game around after a shake start in poor weather on Tuesday.

“With my coaching team, we had some tough talks on Tuesday night,” he said. “But I came back today with more intensity even though it was a tough mental and physical battle.”

The victory also brought the Serb the distinction of becoming the first man to break the $100m mark in prize money.

Djokovic will now advance to the quarter-finals to face Czech seventh seed Tomas Berdych, who defeated Spain’s David Ferrer 6-3 7-5 6-3.

Fellow World No. 1 Serena Williams also made it through to the quarter-finals after 18th-seed Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 6-1 6-1 in their equally rain-delayed fourth-round match. Williams finished off Svitolina in just 62 minutes, thus making it 18 consecutive sets for the American at Roland Garros.

She will next face unseeded Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan, who defeated Spanish 12th seed Carla Suarez Navarro 7-5 7-5 – the first of a potential four matches in four days.

“Four in a row? When we play regular tournaments you play four, five matches in a row. It’s what happens,” said Williams, 34. “It’s something you just get used to. It’s totally fine I think for me and for everyone.”

Venus Williams did not fare as well as her younger sister, falling 6-2 6-4 to Swiss eighth seed Timea Bacsinszky. 

It was later announced that several matches–including Britain No. 1 Andy Murray’s opening match against France’s Richard Gasquet and defending Roland Garros champion Stan Wawrinka– would be postponed to the following day.

After Monday’s play was completely washed out, tournament director Guy Forget defended the fact that 121 minutes of play – two more than necessary to refund ticket-holders – took place on Court Philippe Chatrier on Tuesday.

Bautista Agut had claimed after his loss to Djokovic that tournament officials had “pushed us to play two hours”, while defeated seeds Agnieszka Radwanska and Simona Halep also criticized the decision to continue playing in wet conditions.

Ferrer was even harsher with his criticism. “The players are those who mean the least to the organizers,” said the Spaniard after his loss to Berdych. “They want to make money, it may look good to some, but I think this is a scam.”

Nevertheless, Forget insisted that all decisions regarding whether play should continue in such cases are made for sporting rather than financial reasons.

“The decision to suspend or resume play lies solely with tournament referee Stefan Fransson. Respect for the game always takes precedence,” said Forget.

“If what we are being accused of were true, it would have been in our best interests as organizers to stop play before the one-hour 59-minute mark as our insurer would have been responsible for ticket reimbursement.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58fhFyW97sE

PHOTO: PARIS, FRANCE – MAY 24: Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a forehand during the Men’s Singles first round match against Yen-Hsun Lu of Taipei on day three of the 2016 French Open at Roland Garros on May 24, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

The 2016 Roland Garros quarterfinals began taking shape Sunday as the fourth round started in Paris.

French Open 2016 Sunday Recap: Scores, Highlights, And More

Several stars, including Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori, Garbine Muguruza, Milos Raonic and Richard Gasquet, took the court at the French Open. Simona Halep and Agnieszka Radwanska also played, but their fourth-round results remain unknown after inclement weather forced play to stop early for the evening. Here are the results for both the men and women’s singles matches on Day 8:

Source: RolandGarros.com

Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas delivered the greatest upset of the day, defeating Canadian Raonic in three sets, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4. Here is a replay of the match point:

According to ESPN Tennis, the 55th-seeded Ramos-Vinolas is the lowest-seeded quarterfinalist since last year’s Wimbledon. He’s also the first unseeded player to reach the final eight at the French Open since 2011.

Swiss Stan Wawrinka defeated Serb Viktor Troicki in four sets, 7-6(5), (7)6-7, 6-3, 6-2.

No. 3 seed Wawrinka won 71.4 percent (60-of-84) of his first serves and 60.7 percent (34-of-56) of his second serves. He also posted 10 more aces (19) than Troicki (nine).

On the women’s side, 22-year-old Venezuelan-born Spaniard Muguruza reached her third consecutive French Open quarterfinal after beating Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.

American Shelby Rogers, 23, also upset No. 25 Romanian Irni-Camelia Begu, 25, in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.  

PARIS, FRANCE – MAY 29: Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland hits a forehand during the Men’s Singles fourth round match against Viktor Troicki of Serbia on day eight of the 2016 French Open at Roland Garros on May 29, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dennis Grombkowski/Getty Images)

Andy Murray fought hard to defeat wildcard Frenchman Mathias Bourgue in five sets in Paris on Wednesday to advance to the third round of the French Open.

Andy Murray Wins In Five Sets To Reach Roland Garros Third Round

The World No. 2 Brit lost eight straight games to drop the second and third sets to the 22-year-old Avignon, France native, who is ranked 164th in the world.

Murray, 29, finished off Bourgue 6-2 2-6 4-6 6-2 6-3. He also won in five sets in the first round against veteran Czech Radek Stepanek.

Fellow Brit Kyle Edmund lost 6-4 6-4 6-4 to American 15th seed John Isner. The only other British player remaining in the singles tournament is Aljaz Bedene, who plays on Thursday.

Murray’s inconsistent form as of late has been puzzling, considering he defeated Serb powerhouse Novak Djokovic in the Italian Open final in his last match on clay. He will now face 27th seed Ivo Karlovic from Croatia in the third round on Friday.

Karlovic, 37, beat Australian Jordan Thompson 12-10 in the final set to become the oldest man to make the third round since Jimmy Connors in 1991.

The World No. 2 took the time to praise Bourgue for his performance after the match. “Mathias was excellent and made me run a lot. He’s got a fantastic future for sure,” he said. “I led 6-2 2-0 then he started playing unbelievably and I was finding it hard to win points, let alone games. I’ve played matches like this before and just tried to fight through to the end.

Murray told BBC Sport he did not have an explanation for his inconsistent form. “You can’t play too many matches like this if you want to go far in this tournament. I hope to win the next one a little bit faster,” he said, adding, “I just lost my way.”

Murray appeared to be in total control, leading 2-0 in the second set, but his playing quickly fell apart.

Bourgue, who had never played a Tour-level match prior to this week, broke Murray three times and won six consecutive games, including 16 unanswered points to win the set and even the match.

The pattern continued as Murray double-faulted twice and committed even more unforced errors in the opening game of the following set.

The Brit finally broke Bourgue’s eight-game winning run by taking the third game of the set. Murray served for the match at 5-1 but failed to close it out before finally sealing victory after three hours and 34 minutes on court.

Bourgue hit more winners (55 to Murray’s 46), produced fewer unforced errors (44 to Murray’s 45) and won 138 points compared to Murray’s tally of 137.

“I’d been waiting for this for a long time, that’s what I play tennis for. I’m happy even if I lost,” Bourgue said. “It will remain a great memory.”

Defending champion Stan Wawrinka, the No.3-seed Swiss, defeated Japan’s Taro Daniel 7-6 (9-7) 6-3 6-4, also on Wednesday.

Kei Nishikori, the No.5-seed from Japan, also advanced to the third round of Roland Garros following a 6-3 6-3 6-3 victory over Russian Andrey Kuznetsov. 

ROME, ITALY – MAY 13: Andy Murray of Great Britain in action against David Goffin of Belguim during day six of the The Internazionali BNL d’Italia 2016 on May 13, 2016 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

Novak Djokovic defeated Yen-Hsun Lu of Chinese Taipei 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 in the first round of Roland Garros in Paris on Tuesday to extend his undefeated streak to 12-0.

French Open Day 3: Novak Djokovic And Rafaeal Nadal Open Easily With Wins, Angelique Kerber Loses

The 29-year-old Serb and World No. 1 broke Lu seven times and hit 34 winners to 22 unforced errors.

“Second and third sets were really good. I thought I found my rhythm. First set was up and down,” Djokovic said. “But I’ll take the positives out of it, and I’m hoping I can progress as the tournament goes on.”

Djokovic, who is seeking his first French Open title, will now advance to the second round, where he will face Belgian qualifier Steve Darcis, No. 161 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Darcis beat Turkish qualifier Marsel Ilhan 6-3, 6-4, 6-0. The Belgian also became the first to defeat Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the first round of a Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 2013.

“He’s been around the tour for many years. He had a couple of big wins,” Djokovic said of Darcis. “I haven’t seen him play much on clay. I’m going to have to do a little bit of homework there.”

Djokovic has won every Grand Slam except Roland Garros. He reached the final three times but lost every time, including last year to Swiss Stan Wawrinka in four sets.

On the women’s side, German No.3-seed Angelique Kerber lost to 24-year-old Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Kerber is now the first top-five seed to lose in the first round of the French Open.

Kerber, 28, withdrew from Nuremberg last week due to a shoulder injury, and said the injury became a problem again during the second set on Tuesday. However, she also gave the 58th-ranked Bertens credit following the game.

“I came here to play round by round, and I know that you must play your best tennis in the first rounds, as well, because everybody is a tough opponent to play,” Kerber said. “I was trying it. It was not my day. I tried to fight also in the third set. She played good then in the important moments.”

Nadal, meanwhile, defeated Australian Sam Groth 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 in less than ninety minutes. The 29-year-old Spaniard is seeking to win a record 10th Roland Garros title, and will next face either Argentine Facundo Bagnis or Frenchman Kenny de Schepper in the second round.

Women’s singles No.1-seed Serena Williams also secured a first-round victory on Tuesday. Williams beat Slovak Magdalena Rybarikova 6–2, 6–0​ in just 42 minutes. Following the match, Williams discussed the cooler weather in Paris and her current health and fitness level, after fighting a cold during last year’s French Open.

“I’m not a cold-weather person. It’s been really tough. It was warmer, I think, a couple matches before, but by the time I got out there, it was just really cold….But everything felt pretty good, so it was okay,” she said. “This year I feel good so far. Last year this time I felt good, too. I’m just really, really loading up the Vitamin Cs and water so I can hopefully stay healthy.”

PARIS, FRANCE – MAY 24: Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a forehand during the Men’s Singles first round match against Yen-Hsun Lu of Taipei on day three of the 2016 French Open at Roland Garros on May 24, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Andy Murray was forced to play very hard to defeat Czech veteran Radek Stepanek and win the first-round match of Roland Garros in five sets in Paris on Monday.

Andy Murray Rallies To Beat Radek Stepanek At French Open

The 29-year-old first-ranked Brit found himself struggling and lost the first two sets 3-6, 3-6. However, he bounced back to win the next two sets 6-0, 6-2.

In the fifth set, Stepanek, 37, stepped up his serve-volley game to mitigate the threat of Murray’s powerful baseline game, and took a 4-3 lead in the decider. However, the Brit finished Stepanek off 7-5 in the final set to clinch the victory.

Play was briefly suspended during Monday night’s first-round men’s matchup because of bad light.

Murray will now move on to the second round to face French wildcard Mathias Bourgue, who is ranked 164 in the world. Murray also praised Stepanek following his victory, saying: “He had an extremely bad injury last year and was out for eight or nine months. Still at 37 years old to be coming out and fighting like that and playing that way is unbelievable.” The Brit then continued, “I wasn’t able to dictate many points and I couldn’t find any rhythm and that’s credit to how he played. I fought extremely hard and thankfully I will be back to play again tomorrow.”

The last time Murray lost in the first round of a Grand Slam was in 2008.

Another Brit, Aljaz Bedene, also won in the first round, beating Austrian Jurgen Melzer 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-4 earlier on Tuesday. South African-born Brit Kyle Edmund, 21, defeated Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili in four sets.

On the women’s side fellow Brit Heather Watson, 24, beat out another youngster, 23-year-old American Nicole Gibbs, 5-7 6-2 6-2 on Monday.  

Johanna Konta and Laura Robson will both play their first-round matches later on Tuesday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAygj0K9L9g

PHOTO: ROME, ITALY – MAY 13: Andy Murray of Great Britain in action against David Goffin of Belguim during day six of the The Internazionali BNL d’Italia 2016 on May 13, 2016 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

Roger Federer withdrew from the 2016 French Open on Thursday, citing health reasons.

Roger Federer Withdraws From French Open Because Of Injury

This is the first time the 34-year-old tennis star misses a Grand Slam event since August 1999, when he lost in the second round of the qualifying tournament at the United States Open to fellow Swiss Ivo Heuberger.

Since then, Federer has played in a record 65 straight Grand Slam singles tournaments and won a record 17 titles.

“I have been making steady progress with my overall fitness, but I am still not 100 percent and feel I might be taking an unnecessary risk by playing in this event before I am really ready,” the World No. 3 announced on his Facebook page Thursday. “The decision was not easy to make, but I took it to ensure I could play the remainder of the season and help to extend the rest of my career. I remain as motivated and excited as ever.”

Federer did not name a specific injury in his withdrawal statement. He also added that he planned to return to Roland Garros next year. He withdrew from the Madrid Masters earlier this month with a back injury before losing in the third round of the Rome Masters. The Swiss also withdrew from the Miami Open in March due to a stomach virus, and missed the Rotterdam Open, the Dubai Championships and the Indian Wells Masters due to a knee injury.

“This is sad, but it’s also smart,” Paul Annacone, Federer’s former coach, said of the decision to withdraw. “It’s going to be a really busy next few months.”

This season, Federer has played in only four tournaments and won 11 of 15 matches. He had surgery on his left knee on Feb. 3– the first operation of his career– after tearing the meniscus while running a bath for his twin daughters shortly after losing to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the Australian Open.

Federer won the French Open in 2009. Last year, he fell in the quarterfinals to eventual champion, fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka.

Last week, Federer lost to Austrian 22-year-old Dominic Thiem in the third round in the Italian Open in Rome and appeared to be hampered in his movement.

His withdrawal from Roland Garros now means that nine-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal will move up to the No. 4 seed. This means the Spaniard will avoid facing Djokovic, Wawrinka and Andy Murray until the semifinals.

While his rivals focus on clay, Federer will shift his attention to grass and the Summer Olympics in Rio, Brazil, where he will seek to win his first gold medal in singles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeDe6TAx6vU