Novak Djokovic returned to action at the Monte-Carlo Masters with a comfortable victory but Jack Draper was narrowly beaten by 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz.
Djokovic was playing his first match since Indian Wells after choosing to skip Miami and then parting ways with long-time coach Goran Ivanisevic.
With former doubles specialist and fellow Serb Nenad Zimonjic guiding him from the stands, Djokovic eased to a 6-1 6-2 victory over Russia’s Roman Safiullin.
Djokovic, who pulled out of the recent Miami Open as he tries to balance his schedule, looked fresh as he broke Safiullin’s serve three times in the opening set, and a further two breaks in the second was enough to seal the win.
Live Tennis
Tuesday 9th April 10:00am
“I’m very pleased. Even the games that I lost, I had break points in those games. Really good first match at the start of the clay season. I hope to maintain this rhythm,” Djokovic said on Sky Sports.
On Sunday, Djokovic overtook Roger Federer as the oldest No 1-ranked singles player in ATP rankings history, at 36 years and 321 days.
Hurkacz reached the second round with a 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-2) win, but was made to battle by Britain’s Draper after the Pole looked like dominating early on.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Hubert Hurkacz beat Jack Draper in a thrilling contest to advance to the second round of the Monte-Carlo Masters
Hurkacz raced into a 3-0 lead in the first set but Draper rallied to level at 4-4, before the 10th seed broke serve to take the opener. Draper then broke to love twice to win the second set and force the decider.
With Hurkacz serving at 5-4 to win the match, Draper broke serve but it was a relieved Hurkacz who emerged victorious in the tiebreak.
Hurkacz, who also beat Draper at last year’s tournament, will face Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain in the second round.
Draper’s exit ends British interest in the singles, with Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans also losing in the first round.
“Jack is a great competitor, he came with lots of good shots at the end and I managed to hold my serve and played a great tiebreaker,” Hurkacz said.
“I always try to compete the best I can, the margins are so small and the conditions are always different, the clay is less slippery and the ball is flying differently so you have to manage these things and it’s not easy.”
Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Monte-Carlo Masters ahead of his opening match due to a right forearm injury.
Alcaraz, recently overtaken as world No 2 by Jannik Sinner, had been due to face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round after receiving a first-round bye.
How to watch play on Sky Sports Tennis
The stars of tennis will appear on the new Sky Sports Tennis channel every day
Sky Sports has confirmed a new home for tennis in the UK and Ireland, with Sky Sports Tennis on Sky and NOW, making tennis content available all day, every day for fans.
Sky Sports will broadcast more live tennis than anywhere else, bringing over 4,000 matches from more than 80 tournaments a year on the ATP and WTA Tours, as well as full coverage of the US Open, all exclusively live.
Non-Sky subscribers can stream live matches with a NOW Sports Day and Month Membership, via Sky Sports Tennis, Sky Sports Arena, and Sky Sports Mix channels.
For further access, fans will also be able to follow their favourite players and gain deeper insights from both Tours via Sky Sports News, the Sky Sports app, on SkySports.com and via Sky Sports social channels.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Find out all the ways to watch tennis on Sky Sports, including the US Open, ATP and WTA tours
Ad content | Stream Sky Sports on NOW
Stream Sky Sports live with no contract on a Month or Day membership on NOW. Instant access to live action from the Premier League, EFL, F1, England Cricket, Tennis and so much more.
