This match bathed in sunshine Monday meant Federer finally was back at the French Open and back in Grand Slam action and he gave the excited fans what they wanted perhaps as much as he did: a victory.
The second-seeded Russian, who lost in the first round on each of his four previous appearances on the Parisian red clay, claimed a maiden win at the Grand Slam event by defeating Alexander Bublik 6-3, 6-3, 7-5.
The 18th-seeded teenager was on the verge of a shock exit at Roland Garros, a year after making it to the quarterfinals on his debut on the Parisian clay.
Her best friend on the tennis circuit, Kaja Juvan, was the victim as Swiatek emphatically kicked off her campaign to become the first woman since Justine Henin in 2007 to defend the French Open title.
Federer, the oldest player in men's singles this year, is scheduled for the third match on Court Philippe Chatrier. It will the first Grand Slam match since the 2020 Australian Open
Nearly 5,400 people per day are allowed on-site at the outset of the French Open, with expectations of even more allowed in at the tail end of the tournament
The fourth-seeded Austrian was beaten 4-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 by 68th-ranked Pablo Andujar in the first round.
Osaka announced Wednesday in a Twitter post that she would not be taking part in news conferences during the French Open
Kvitova, who reached the semifinals at Roland Garros in 2012 and last year, next faces either Elena Vesnina or Belarussian qualifier Olga Govortsova.
Osaka returned to Roland Garros after skipping the trip last time, turning in a mistake-filled 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over 63rd-ranked Patricia Maria Tig at Court Philippe Chatrier on Day 1 of the Grand Slam tournament.
The women's doubles draw was announced in Paris on Sunday and Gauff, 17, and Williams, 40, are a surprise entry.
The No. 2-ranked Osaka has said she won't participate in news conferences at Roland Garros — and she did not do a pre-tournament session with the media.
The 26th-seeded Kerber was beaten 6-2, 6-4 to Anhelina Kalinina, a qualifier from Ukraine ranked 139th making her tournament debut.
Having never progressed beyond the fourth round of a women's major, 19-year-old Iga broke through for her maiden Grand Slam title last year, upstaging American Sofia Kenin at the French Open in Paris.
Top-ranked Djokovic struggled on serve in the first set as he was broken three times by his Slovakian opponent.
The inevitable question remains - can Nadal beat the odds, once again, to lift an unprecedented 14th on la terre battue?
Here is a look at a quartet of the teen set in tennis who eventually could end up in the spotlight during the inevitable shift as the sport's standard-bearers move from their mid-30s to their late 30s and, soon enough, their 40s.
Japanese sensation Naomi this week said that she would not face the media at Roland Garros as "people have no regard for athletes' mental health" during press conferences.
Naomi's total earnings amounted to $55.2 million, of which $5.2 million was from prize money, the highest payday ever for a female athlete.
The Big Three top the leaderboard for Grand Slam men’s singles titles: Federer and Nadal head to Roland Garros, where play begins Sunday, tied with 20, while Djokovic has 18.
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