Novak Djokovic passed his first test at Roland Garros, dispatching American Aleksandar Kovacevic in straight sets to quiet some of the questions about his health and form ahead of the French Open.
But this is going to be a marathon, not a sprint for Djokovic, who has not won a tournament since the Australian Open in January and has not made it past the quarterfinals of any events during the European clay season.
So while Djokovic’s straightforward win over Kovacevic feels like a momentum-builder, it’s far from enough to answer all the questions about the 22-time Grand Slam winner’s level right now.
And his opponent on Wednesday is no pushover, especially in best-of-five tennis.
Marton Fucsovics may be ranked as the No. 83 player in the world, but his fitness level and willingness to grind out long, physical matches makes him a brutal out in Grand Slams, where his record is 40-30 (57.1 percent)
Djokovic can make quick work of anybody, but don’t be surprised if Fucsovics pushes him on Wednesday.
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A play on the match to go over 3 ¹/₂ sets seems a savvy wager and I’ll also be throwing a shekel on Fucsovics to pull the upset, too.
French Open pick
Over 3.5 sets (+138, PointsBet)
