Novak Djokovic has continued to take a cautious stance over his expectations at the ongoing French Open. The Serb entered this year's second Grand Slam, where he is the defending champion, plagued by form struggles. However, his Roland Garros run so far has seen him pick up straight-set victories over Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Roberto Carballes Baena.
Djokovic took some time to settle in his second-round encounter against Carballes Baena, but once he did, the Spaniard was no match for him. The Serb stayed aggressive from the baseline throughout the contest, and was ruthless in terms of converting his break point opportunities, winning seven out of 12 break points. Ultimately, he registered a comfortable 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 victory.
After the match, the World No. 1 spoke to Tennis Channel analyst Jon Wertheim and said he had to lower his expectations based on his disappointing results so far this season. Djokovic is yet to win a title this year, and suffered shock early exits at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Italian Open.
"I didn't have too many wins coming into Roland Garros, so I had to lower my expectations but of course I always, you know, believe in myself and my capabilities. I know what I'm capable of doing," Djokovic told Tennis Channel (1:00).
The 24-time Grand Slam winner went on to talk about his stellar record at Majors over the years and was hopeful of mustering a deep run at Roland Garros.
"I've done it many times in my career, so... Going far in a Grand Slam has always been the goal, last five years more so than the first 15 years of my career. So, I look forward to what's coming up. Hopefully I can deliver the goods," Djokovic added.
Novak Djokovic set to face Lorenzo Musetti in the third round of the French Open
Djokovic, the top seed at the 2024 French Open, will square off against No. 30 seed Lorenzo Musetti in the third round. Musetti has been in imperious form so far at the claycourt Major, having won his matches against Daniel Elahi Galan and veteran Gael Monfils in straight sets.
The Serb leads the pair's head-to-head 4-1 and would be confident of extending his lead over the Italian going into their third-round clash in Paris. Their last meeting came in the Round of 16 at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters, where Djokovic picked up a 7-5, 6-3 win over Musetti. It was a rematch of their 2023 clash at the same tournament, which had gone the Italian's way.
The winner of the match between Djokovic and Musetti will face either No. 14 seed Tommy Paul or No. 23 seed Francisco Cerundolo.
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