Novak Djokovic described himself as ‘pleased’ with the way he is playing right now after another fine showing at the French Open.
The defending champion defeated the tricky Alex Molcan – who is now working with Djokovic’s former coach Marian Vajda – 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 on Wednesday.
It was a dominant performance from Djokovic in blustery conditions, and one that he certainly seemed to enjoy.
“I’m pleased with the way I’m feeling on the court [and] the way I’ve been striking the ball,” he said.
“I think today was also under challenging conditions and playing against a specialist on clay, someone that is a tricky opponent and coming off from the [Lyon] final last week.
“It was never going to be an easy match, but I thought I performed very well.”
The French Open has a very different feel to it this year, with capacity crowds back inside Roland Garros, and Djokovic says that is definitely helping to motivate him.
“It’s great to see the crowd back [and] the full capacity on all courts,” he said. “Lots of young people, lots of kids, this is something that I really love to see.
“It always gives you energy. For me at this stage of my career, a crowd and this energy of people coming to watch me play is one of the biggest reasons why I keep on competing [and] playing professional tennis.”
Djokovic is in an unusually stacked half of the draw with both Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz always playing the same day as he is.
However, he says it is crucial he simply concentrates on himself and the match that is in front of him.
“You are aware what’s going on with the other guys, at least in my case, and I know that everyone else is watching everybody else,” he said.
“[But] that cannot be dominating most of your time and energy that you invest in a day.
“So you are aware, but then of course it’s really not up to you what they do. It’s what you have to do, win matches and make good results.”
Slovenian Aljaz Bedene now awaits Novak Djokovic in the third round.
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