Novak Djokovic passed a very sturdy challenge from Alex Molcan to reach the 3rd round of Roland Garros once more.
It was a very difficult match for Djokovic as he faced his longtime coach Marian Vajda on the opposing side. Djokovic did not look forward to it but he did not allow that to affect him. Speaking after the match, he said:
“I'm pleased with the way I'm feeling on the court [and] the way I’ve been striking the ball. 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.”
Djokovic patiently waited for Molcan to make mistakes and eventually they came. Djokovic himself had a bit of down time in the final set needing the tiebreak to get it done but he was able to thanks to some great serving. Up next for him at the French Open is Aljaz Bedene a player he knows quite well and one that can be tricky to beat if his serve is firing.