‘It was a great fight’ – Novak Djokovic gives verdict on Paris opening victory
Novak Djokovic made a winning return at the Paris Masters, overcoming Marton Fucsovics in his first competitive match since losing the US Open final.
The 34-year-old, who is a record five-time winner in Paris, recovered from a second set lull to overcome the Hungarian star 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in two hours to reach the third round in Paris.
Following the contest, the Serbian said it was great to be back playing and knew he was going to be embroiled in a battle against the world number 40.
“It was great to be back on the court after almost two months without competition,” Djokovic said.
“I did not expect anything but I knew this was not going to be an easy match. Marton is a very talented player, he has a lot of quality.
“It was a great fight. I couldn’t break his serve, he was playing with a lot of precision and we pushed each other to the limit. It was a great opening match for me. I am very pleased.”
In a close contest, the world number one struggled to cope with the aggression and depth of Fucsovics from the baseline, though found a way to advance and improve his head-to-head record to 4-0.
“It is just about spending time on court, finding that match play intensity and playing more points,” Djokovic added.
“The more matches I play, I think I am going to get better. I know myself well, I was in this situation before, quite a lot of times, so hopefully experience can play a role in doing the job well.”
Djokovic will now face a Frenchman in either Gael Monfils or Adrian Mannarino.
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