PARIS: There's a tennis tournament being played, a Grand Slam, where a smorgasbord of elite players is vying for heavyweight silverware. And then there is Novak Djokovic, shooting for the stars at the French Open. Same field, different realities.
The 36-year-old Serb, who along with Rafael Nadal is joint record-holder, having won 22 major crowns apiece, wants sole ownership. But that's just part of the puzzle Djokovic is looking to complete, number 23 will tie the Roland Garros third seed with American Serena Williams for the Open Era record while a 24th Grand Slam title would help him draw level with Aussie Margaret Court for the all-time count. So, 25 is what Djokovic is aiming for.
"History being on the line is flattering and motivating," Djokovic said. "Part of me is confident and always aspires to win Grand Slams, but I also have to be humble about the fact that things are a bit different with the way I'm feeling on the court month after month. The (physical) beating is getting harder. I'll try to balance things out. I know how to approach a Grand Slam, I know how to live during these few weeks.
"Djokovic is coming into the French Open in indifferent form. It reflects in his ranking, this is the first time in five years that he's not the top-seed at Roland Garros. He hasn't won a title in the three clay court events he has played, which might sound harsh on the Serbian, but those are his standards, even on his least successful patch. Djokovic pulled out of the Madrid Masters with a creaky elbow and lost to Holger Rune in the quarterfinals in Rome. He has even called these championships, sans Rafael Nadal, as 'very open'.
On Monday Djokovic got a chance to work himself into the draw, playing American Aleksandar Kovacevic. Djokovic won 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (1) against an opponent who idolized him growing up.
The 24-year-old Kovacevic was born and raised in New York City. His parents Milan and Milanka, table tennis players from the former Yugoslavia, served as their son's early hitting partners at Central Park where the four-year-old learnt the basics of the game.
Against Djokovic, Kovacevic, who was making his Grand Slam debut, competed hard, refusing to be over-awed by the situation he found himself in on the Court Philippe Chatrier, giving the world No. 3 just the workout he needed.
Kovacevic played five years of college tennis when studying at the University of Illinois. The American might have a bachelor's degree in finance, having also enrolled for a Master's program, but the world no. 114's papers definitely included a rubric on 'what to do when you take on your idol'.
Kovacevic, in an ombre tee that complimented the surface he was playing on, competed hard, even breaking the Serbian legend. His single-handed backhand forced the error in the sixth game of the third set. He eventually pushed the third set to tie-break which Djokovic claimed with some to spare.
In the day's shock result. Fabio Fognini, 36, put out the 10th seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.
