By Chris Oddo | Monday May 29, 2017
Novak Djokovic and Andre Agassi secured their first win as a pair as the Serb eased past Marcel Granollers in straight sets.
Photo Source: Clive Brunskill/Getty
New kit, new coach, another win in Paris; It wasn’t perfect—but it was perfectly fine.
Novak Djokovic eased past Spain’s Marcel Granollers, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, on Monday on Court Philippe Chatrier to book a spot next to either Joao Sousa or Janko Tipsarevic in the second round.
With recently hired coach Andre Agassi calmly sitting in his player's box, Djokovic had to scramble in spells against Granollers, but the Serb was able to routinely have success against the World No.76’s second serve and he parlayed that into eight break points converted out of 20 break points earned.
Djokovic won 30 of 46 second serve points and won 52 percent of his return points in total.
Granollers did frustrate the Serb in their fourth lifetime meeting when he saved eight set points while serving at 3-5 in the second set, but Djokovic held to take the second set in the ensuing game and quickly moved ahead by a double-break in the third set.
In the end it wasn't the most sublime we've seen Djokovic on the terre battue, but the effort was certainly something to build on. Granollers, who has thrice reached the second week in Paris, is not the easiest of first-rounders, and Djokovic handled everything that was thrown his way without ever really losing the plot.
Djokovic improved to 56-11 lifetime at Roland Garros, and he moved within three wins of Jimmy Connors for second on the all-time Grand Slam win list with 230.