In his first Grand Slam match in 253 days, the 20-time major champion left us with an unmistakable feeling that he is back.PARIS—Novak Djokovic won his first-round match Monday at the French Open. In other news bulletins from Paris, the Eiffel Tower attracted a tourist, a man went, wine accompanied a meal, and the renovation of Notre Dame continued apace. Now closer to age 40 than to 30—he turned 35 on Sunday—Djokovic is playing in the 67th major of his gilded career.
On this rainy evening, Djokovic was forced to perform under the roof on Court Chatrier. No matter. He was at his Djokovic-est. He hit his serving spots. He returned with precision. He turned defense into offense. And he made tidy work of his opponent, Yoshi Nishioka of Japan, 6-3, 6-1, 6-0. The French don’t have a perfect direct translation for “business as usual.” This, though, was it.
But in tennis, as in life, context is everything. And for Djokovic, Monday came freighted with all sorts of meaning. It had been 253 days since his previous match at a major on Sept. 12, when he lost in the 2021 U.S. Open final, snuffing out his bid to become the first player since the ’80s to winDjokovic’s return to the French Open on Monday marked his first Grand Slam appearance since the 2021 U.S. Open men’s singles final.