Djokovic and Zverev in pain, finished for the French, what to remember from the day in Monte-Carlo

Europe 1 with AFP 22:02 p.m., April 11, 2023

"I've never seen him play before today, and it's always difficult to face an opponent you don't know": Novak Djokovic was almost surprised by Russian Ivan Gakhov (198th in the world) before dismissing him 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 in 1h47. The Serb, world No. 1 who returns to competition after being deprived of the American tour in Indian Wells and Miami for refusing the covid vaccine, took time to install his game in this match of the second round since he was exempt from the first because of his ranking.

It was Gakhov who was the first to be dangerous by managing the first break of the match to lead 4-3. Stung to the quick, Djokovic broke immediately, but could not prevent the set from ending in the tie break where he concluded on his first ball of the set. The second set was one-sided even though Gakhov hung on until the end.

>> READ ALSO – "Catastrophic": Gilles Moretton lets loose on the "failure" of the Davis Cup of Gerard Pique

Zverev returns

"I didn't play well in the first set whereas he did. In the second, I raised my level of play," Djokovic said. "The clay is the surface on which I have the most difficulty to adapt, to find the rhythm. I always need one or two weeks of tournaments on clay to really play the way I want to. And even if I've been training on clay for three weeks, and I felt good about the points played in training, it's always different in competition," insisted the co-holder with Rafael Nadal of the record of 22 Grand Slam titles.

Favourite in the absence of Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic is aiming for a third title in Monte-Carlo after 2013 and 2015. For his part, Zverev was back on clay after his injury in the semifinals of Roland-Garros last year. The German, former world No. 2 who fell in the rankings during his convalescence to point this week at 16th ATP ranking, defeated Kazakh Alexander Bublik (53rd) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.

"Last year, I played the best tennis of my life, especially at Roland Garros, and I have to get used to playing on clay, to slipping again," he said after qualifying for the second round. He did not return to competition until early January in Australia on hard for the United Cup (two defeats). Since then, he had won only seven victories on the ATP Tour in six tournaments, including reaching the semifinals in Dubai (beaten by Andrey Rublev), but remained on a heavy defeat 6-0, 6-4 against Taro Daniel (97th) as soon as he entered the competition in Miami.

>> DISCOVER HERE - "She can count on me": Gilles Moretton, president of the FFT, supports Caroline Garcia

Already finished for the French

The left wrist was too painful: Bonzi (48th), although right-handed, had to forfeit after only 22 minutes of play against Tsitsipas (3rd). In the first set, at the change of sides while he was leading 3-0, the 26-year-old Frenchman had a bandage placed on his wrist. He resumed the match and won his face-off, but after conceding almost unopposed on Tsitsipas' serve, he threw in the towel. Last year for his first participation, he lost in the first round. Bonzi was the only French player to reach the second round of the Monegasque tournament.

After Richard Gasquet the day before, Ugo Humbert, who went through qualifying, also gave up not without having four match balls against the Italian Lorenzo Sonego (45th) 3-6, 7-5, 7-5. The 24-year-old Frenchman clearly dominated the first set and served for the match at 5-4 in the second. "I was playing the best match of my career on clay," he said. But while he had never conceded his stake before, he lost two service games in a row to allow the Italian to tie at one set everywhere. Bis repeated in the decisive set where Humbert served again for the match at 5-4. He got four match balls but did not convert any and again let his opponent win the set and thus the match.