'Novak Djokovic is like a snake,' says Mikael Ymer after Roland Garros defeat

Novak Djokovic has returned to the Grand Slam arena at Roland Garros, following his disqualification at the US Open a few weeks ago. In the first round of the French Open, Djokovic defeated Sweden's Mikael Ymer 6-0, 6-2, 6-3.

After losing to the world number one tennis player, Ymer compared Djokovic to a snake who "suffocates and kills its prey."

The Joker dropped only five games during his first-round victory against Ymer. The 33-year old Serbian top seed is aiming to win his 18th Grand Slam title. If he does so at Roland Garros, it would mark Djokovic's second French Open title.

The 17-time Grand Slam winner was ruthless in the court, as he won the match in an hour and 38 minutes.

Following the victory, according to BBC, Djokovic said, "This is what my intentions will be, trying to get off the blocks very strong with good intensity. Obviously, these conditions are different than what we are used to here in the French Open. The balls, the heavy clay, the cold weather. It all affects the play, of course. But I think it's quite suitable to my style of the game. I actually enjoyed myself on the court. I think I played really well. I'm ready physically, mentally, emotionally to go deep in the tournament."

In the next round, Djokovic will play against Ricardas Berankis. The Lithuanian world number 66 defeated Bolivia's Hugo Dellien 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the second round. Now Berankis will have the opportunity to become the first player to beat the world number one this year. Djokovic has been in fine form and beating him won't be easy.

Although the world number one once got defeated in 2020 when he was disqualified from his US Open last-16 match against Pablo Carreno Busta, it was not because of his opponent's calibre. Instead, Djokovic had hit a line judge with the ball. As a result, his journey at Flushing Meadows came to a halt.

Djokovic, along with Spain's 12-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal and Austria's two-time runner-up Dominic Thiem, are favourites to win the men's title this year. Before arriving in Paris, the Serb won the Italian Open on a clay court in Rome last week.