Tennis-Djokovic up and running with victory over Herbert in Paris

Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 28, 2024 Serbia's Novak Djokovic reacts after winning his first round match against France's Pierre-Hugues Herbert REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

PARIS (Reuters) -Defending champion Novak Djokovic shrugged off doubts about the state of his game with a confident 6-4 7-6(3) 6-4 defeat of Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the French Open first round on Tuesday.

The top seed had to wait until the night match on the third day of the tournament to begin his quest for an Open era record-extending 25th Grand Slam title but quickly hit his stride to dispatch French wildcard Herbert on Court Philippe Chatrier.