Novak Djokovic finished runners-up in the last two editions of the French Open, the only Grand Slam which the Serbian has failed to lift in his illustrious career. The Serbian, as always, has his eyes set on clinching the French Open, and even defending champion Stanislas Wawrinka has tagged the world number one as the favourite. Not only Wawrinka, other stars in the fray also know the skill and competition Djokovic brings to the table, irrespective of the surface.
Day 3 of French Open 2016 will witness Djokovic play his first match of the competition, as he prepares to face a lesser known opponent in Yen-Hsun Lu at the Philippe-Chatrier Court on Tuesday. The top seed should not have much trouble in getting past his Taiwanese opponent, whose best performance in the French Open has been a second round finish in 2012.
Though Hsun Lu might be a consistent player in the Challenger circuit, it is a different matter altogether when one has to compete against the likes of Djokovic, who is desperate to win the French Open. One of the best attributes of the top seed is the way he deals with his opponents -- he never takes any player lightly, irrespective of their rankings. Hsun Lu is ranked 95 in the world.
Such matches against will be used by Djokovic in order to get into his rhythm before the mega clashes in the French Open. Djokovic is expected to meet players such as David Ferrer and Rafael Nadal in the business end of the competition.
Djokovic comes into this French Open with decent performances under his belt on clay.
The world number one lost to Jiri Vesely in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters, which was a wake-up call in his first clay court tournament of 2016. After that defeat, the 11-time Grand Slam champion has looked in great touch, hitting the ball wonderfully well, and even winning the Madrid Masters title and finishing runners-up at the Rome Masters.
Djokovic, like other major competitors, is looking forward to winning the crown at Roland Garros, and the 29-year-old even expressed his desire to win the French Open after lifting the Australian Open earlier this season.
Where to watch live
Novak Djokovic vs Yen-Hsun Lu French Open first round fixture is the third match at Phillipe-Chartier Court. The first match on this court will start at 11 a.m local time (2:30 p.m IST, 10 a.m BST, 5 a.m ET).
India viewers can watch the French Open 2016 singles action on Neo Sports and Neo Prime. Audience in the UK can watch 2016 French Open live on ITV or ITV Player, while viewers in rest of Europe can do the same on Eurosport and Eurosport Player.
Viewers in the US can watch French Open matches live on Tennis Channel, ESPN 2 andNBC, with live stream options on Tennis Channel live,Watch ESPN and NBC Sports Live Extra.
Fox Sportsand Foxtel Play is the place to be to watch the French Open 2016 live in Australia.
Middle Eastern countries can watch French Open 2016 in BeIN Sports and online onBeIN Sports Connect.
Fox Sportswill broadcast French Open 2016 live in Asian countires.
Listeners across the world can also catch French Open 2016 matches live on Roland Garros Radio.
