PARIS — If anyone at the French Open needed a reminder, Novak Djokovic was on court to show what champions are made of.
Returning to Roland Garros a year after he lost in the final to Rafael Nadal, the Serb posted a convincing 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 victory over 87th-ranked Jarkko Nieminen on Tuesday. More significantly, he raised his game in a blink of an eye when he needed to.
After dropping his serve in the second set, Djokovic was two points from losing the set when the Finnish player served at 5-3, 30-love. Djokovic hit three excellent returns and broke back when Nieminen sent a backhand long.