Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer showed the tennis world has not completely spun off its axis by moving smoothly into the third round.
After Australian Open champions Stan Wawrinka and Li Na made unwanted history by falling in the first round, the biggest shock of the lot arrived yesterday when Serena Williams crashed out.
Federer followed Williams onto Court Suzanne Lenglen. He did not have things all his own way against qualifier Diego Sebastian Schwartzman but was comfortable enough in a 6-3 6-4 6-4 victory.
Federer admitted afterwards he had not felt able to play freely, but attributed that to an unknown opponent rather than any lingering tension from all the upsets.
He said: “It was kind of tough all the way through. I didn’t feel relaxed for the entire match. I always felt he had a little bit of an upper hand from the baseline.”
Djokovic sails through
Djokovic had the upper hand in every area of his match against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy as he eased to a 6-1 6-4 6-2 victory.
Both men could sympathise with Wawrinka who, after losing to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez on Monday, admitted he was finding it difficult adjusting to everything that comes with being a grand slam champion.
Djokovic won his first grand slam title at the Australian Open in 2008 but did not win another for three years.
Wawrinka said after his defeat he appreciated the consistent excellence from Djokovic, Federer and Rafael Nadal even more after getting a taste of their world.
Great expectations
Djokovic said: “I understand what Wawrinka is going through. When I won my first grand slam in 2008, I know how that period went after that. It’s the first time that you have to encounter pressure or expectations of being a favourite at grand slams.
Federer is confident his friend and countryman will find the answers to the puzzle he is trying to piece together.
“With Stan, I understand where he is, because I was in such a position at a moment in my career . . . but with Australia, with (the Masters title in) Monaco, it’s in his pocket already. Nobody can take this from him. It will give him time to work on this. I trust that he will find the right solutions in the months to come.”
Djokovic faces a potentially tricky match next against 25th seed Marin Cilic, who beat Tobias Kamke in four sets, while Federer meets 31st seed Dmitry Tursunov.
Today’s match of the day sees Nadal back on Philippe Chatrier against 20-year-old Austrian Dominic Thiem, who defeated Wawrinka in Madrid earlier this month.
