French Open 2023 Day 2 recap: Novak Djokovic controversy and more
The second day of the 2023 French Open saw its fair share of top seeds going through, a few falling by the wayside and some controversial moments as well.
The day saw the likes of top seed Carlos Alcaraz and third seed Novak Djokovic launch their campaigns with straight-set wins. The duo remain on course for a blockbuster semifinal showdown.
There were also five-setters galore. Former champion Stan Wawrinka went the distance against Spanish veteran Albert Ramos-Vinolas, while Denis Shapovalov and Cameron Norrie survived in five as well.
However, two-time runner-up Dominic Thiem failed to complete his comeback from two sets down against Pedro Cachin.
Of course, there were a few upsets, some beautiful moments and controversies, too. Without further ado, here's a recap of the day at the French Open with the three top stories. Let's get started:
#1 The Novak Djokovic controversy
World No. 3 Novak Djokovic opened his campaign for a record 23rd Grand Slam title by seeing off Aleksandar Kovacevic in straight sets.
The Serb looked on course for a routine straight-set win when he led by two sets and a break. However, Kovacevic broke his illustrious opponent when the latter served for the match.
To his credit, though, Djokovic regained control of proceedings in the ensuing tiebreak to extend his perfect record in French Open first-round matches to 19-0.
However, victory for the 35-year-old was marred by a controversy when he wrote a message with political undertones on the camera following his win. Amidst the political turmoil and violence in Kosovo, which gained independence from Serbia in 2008, Djokovic wrote:
“Kosovo is (heart symbol) Serbia. Stop violence.”
The two-time French Open champion later reposted an image of that photo on his Instagram stories. It's pertinent to note that Kosovo is recognised by more than 100 countries as an independent nation, but Serbia doesn't.
Northern Kosovo has a majority Serbian population, which views Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, as their capital. Following their refusal to take part in local elections in April, ethnic Serbs in the region clashed with Kosovo police and Nato peacekeepers, sparking violence.
In his post-match press conference, Djokovic stressed on the need to show support and demonstrate unity. He said (as reported by The Guardian):
“This is the least I could have done. I feel the responsibility as a public figure – doesn’t matter in which field – to give support. Especially as a son of a man born in Kosovo, I feel the need to give my support to them and to Serbia.
“I don’t know what the future brings for Serbian people and for Kosovo, but it’s necessary to show support and demonstrate unity in these kinds of situations.”
The Serb went on to add:
“My stance is clear: I am against wars, violence and any kind of conflict, as I’ve always stated publicly. I empathise with all people, but the situation with Kosovo is a precedent in international law …
“I am very sorry for the situation that we are in – Kosovo is our hearthstone, our stronghold, our most important monasteries are there.”
It's unclear whether the French Open's organisers will take any action against or reprimand the two-time winner.
#2 Felix Auger-Aliassime and Petra Kvitova stumble in French Open first round
While most top seeds are through to the second round of the French Open, 10th seeds Felix Auger-Aliassime (men's) and Petra Kvitova (women's) weren't as lucky.
Aliassime fell in straight sets (6-4, 6-4, 6-3) to Italian veteran Fabio Fognini. Fognini turned back the years with a facile win, having reached the French Open quarterfinals all the way back in 2011.
In a huge upset on Court Simonne-Mathieu, the World No. 52 improved to 7-6 on the season. He converted eight of his nine break points to level his head-to-head with Auger-Aliassime at 1-1 with a stunning win.
Fognini will next face Australian Jason Kubler following a 2-hour 17-minute win.
In the women's draw, Petra Kvitova - a two-time Wimbledon winner - lost 6-3, 6-4 to Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto. The two-time French Open semifinalist came to Roland Garros with just one claycourt win on the season. That showed against Cocciaretto, who won a whopping 82% of points on Kvitova's second serve.
Elsewhere, 11th seed Veronika Kudermetova and 12th seed Belinda Bencic also stumbled in the opening hurdle at the French Open. The duo lost to Anna Karolina Schmiedlova and Elina Avanesyan respectively.
#3 Elina Svitolina wins first Grand Slam match after giving birth
After welcoming daughter Skai in October last year, Elina Svitolina marked her return to the Grand Slam fold with a win against last year's French Open semifinalist Martina Trevisan.
Coming off a win at Strasbourg last week, Svitolina dished out a stunning performance. She conceded only two games in each set to see off her Italian opponent in 70 minutes and didn't concede a single break point to her left-handed opponent.
Playing her first Grand Slam since the 2022 Australian Open, the former World No. 3 improved to 10-0 in first-round matches at the French Open. Svitolina said after the win:
"I feel like I'm as strong as I was before, maybe even stronger, because I feel that I can handle the work that I do off the court, and match by match I'm getting better.
"The puzzles are getting slowly into place. We can see the result, that I'm playing well, and most importantly I'm happy with the level that I show right now. That's what I want to build on."
Svitolina will next face Storm Sanders for a place in the next round.
Meanwhile, her husband Gael Monfils will also return to the Grand Slam fold this week for the first time since the 2022 Australian Open. He is set to take on Sebastian Baez later on Tuesday (May 30) for a place in the second round.