Two things that stood out in Novak Djokovic's 2R win over Marton Fucsovics at French Open

Third-seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia beat Marton Fucsovics of Hungary 7-6(2), 6-0, 6-3 in the second-round match of the 2023 French Open on Wednesday, May 31. The match lasted for a little more than two hours, with the Serb prevailing quite easily in the end. The 22-time Grand Slam champion thus remained on course for his third title at Roland Garros.

The 36-year-old will take on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round on Friday, June 2. The legendary player leads 2-1 head-to-head against the Spaniard, with Fokina winning their last encounter at the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters.

The Spaniard has a robust all-court game but will have to play exceedingly well in order to topple the in-form icon on Friday. Apart from World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic is the favorite to win the title in Paris. He showed his class in a comfortable victory against Fucsovics.

On that note, let us take a look at two things that stood out for the World No. 3 in the Round of 64.

#1. Novak Djokovic won the well-contested 1st set as Fucsovics tried playing backhand slices too often

2023 French Open

The first set was a really well-contested one, with the Serb starting with a bang as he raced to a 3-1 lead. However, Fucsovics broke back to take the set into a tiebreak, where the experienced player won convincingly.

Fucsovics played a lot of backhand slices to take the pace off the ball repeatedly in the first set. Thus, he did not allow his opponent to redirect the ball with his backhand. Still, Djokovic’s ability to play better during the crunch moments helped him keep his nose ahead.

#2. The Serb destroyed the Hungarian in the last two sets:

Once the former World No. 1 was able to draw the first blood by winning the first set, he started asserting his supremacy in the match. Fucsovics kept relying on his subtle touches, but Djokovic’s volleying skills and his own touches from the forecourt helped him take control of most of the rallies. He won quite a few points through volleys and smashes to offer the Hungarian no respite.

He also served a bagel to the Fucsovics in the second set, exhibiting world-class tennis. The 31-year-old hardly had the weapons to hurt the two-time French Open winner, as the latter got the decisive break in the third set as well. He then served the match out as the Fucsovics hit one of his forehands wide of the tram line to concede defeat.