'He wanted to send a message' - Mischa Zverev on fired-up Novak Djokovic threat at French Open 2022

Updated 24/05/2022 at 10:21 GMT

"This is his first Grand Slam this year - he wanted to prove to everyone: I'm here, I won Rome, I'm playing well - and I'm going to win this," Mischa Zverev told Eurosport Germany's 'Matchball' Show after Novak Djokovic won his opening match of the 2022 French Open in style on Monday night against Yoshihito Nishioka in Paris. "He wanted to send a message."

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Novak Djokovic "wanted to send a message" after a frustrating few months as he won his first-round match at the French Open.

The world No. 1, who was fired up throughout the night match on Court Philippe Chatrier, opened the defence of his title with a straightforward 6-3 6-1 6-0 win over Yoshihito Nishioka.

The two-time champion was far too good for the world No. 99 as he advanced in just two hours under the closed roof and lights with his emotions clear to see after a challenging year to date, having not been allowed to compete at the Australian Open.

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Indeed, his animated reactions featured several fist pumps and some full-throttle roars, some of which were booed by the crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier, something which shocked Eurosport's John McEnroe.

Djokovic will next face either Alex Molcan and Federico Coria with a potential quarter-final against Rafael Nadal looming in the second week, and Eurosport expert Mischa Zverev was struck by the mentality he showed on court - and the threat he represents to his rivals.

"This is his first Grand Slam this year - he wanted to prove to everyone: I'm here, I won Rome, I'm playing well - and I'm going to win this," Zverev told Eurosport Germany's 'Matchball' Show.

"He wanted to send a message."

Zverev also said of Djokovic on Eurosport Germany's podcast 'Das Gelbe vom Ball': "In Monte Carlo, he really didn't play well and lost early. Before the tournament he had practised with Sascha [Zverev], and he really looked slower than usual. His strokes were also not so well placed.

"Normally, you don't see the top players on the venue when they have lost, but he was on the grounds one or two days later - on the last court at the back - practising there and you could see, okay, he is hungry, he really wants to improve his game. He doesn't care if there are other spectators, if the quarter-finals or semi-finals are on. He is not part of it.

"It didn't matter to him at all. He had one goal in mind: he had to improve. That took a few weeks now, but he won in Rome in the final against [Stefanos] Tsitsipas - that's also quite a statement.

"He really is a player who knows his body and his game inside out like no other. He is like from another star."

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Fellow Eurosport expert Tim Henman was also struck by how fired up Djokovic was and wondered if it was due to what happened in Australia, when he suffered the ignominy of not being allowed to remain in the country for the opening Grand Slam of the season.

"His performance was one thing, his ball striking, the consistency on serve, but I was surprised by his attitude, he was so pumped up," Henman said.

"There was a lot of fist pumping, the screaming and shouting out, for a first-round match at a Grand Slam, for someone who has won 20 of them, is that a reflection of what happened in Australia where he didn’t get the opportunity? This is his next opportunity to get to 21 and he is so pumped up.

"You saw from the word go he was so motivated, focused and fired up, ready to get the job done and that’s what he did. He is trending in the right direction.

"He is maybe a little bit underdone but getting the victory in Rome and to come here and make a little bit of a statement.

"Some of the other top players got off to good starts and Djokovic would have been aware of that, you saw all aspects of his game, his movement, his game, his touch, it really was a complete performance. He steamrolled Nishioka."