Rafael Nadal (left) and Novak Djokovic AFP PHOTOSPARIS: Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal began their bids for Grand Slam history with comfortable wins on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) as the fallout from Naomi Osaka's revelations over depression and anxiety sent shockwaves through Roland Garros. 1 Djokovic kicked off his bid for a 19th Grand Slam title with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 win over Tennys Sandgren inside an empty stadium. Nadal, the 13-time champion and chasing a record-setting 21st major, defeated Alexei Popyrin of Australia 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7/3). One sports psychologist described the media as "voyeurs" in the crisis while Grand Slam chiefs insisted they would look to make improvements to improve player experience. Djokovic saw off world number 66 Sandgren in straight sets for his fourth win in four meetings with the American.

Source: Manila Times June 02, 2021 16:39 UTC