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Playing his first match at Roland Garros since 2015, Roger Federer has had no trouble reaching the second round of the Open de France.
Back on the renovated court, Philippe Chatrier, at the opening day of the clay court competition, the Grand Slam champion won 20 wins against the French Open beginner, Lorenzo Sonego, 6-2, 6 -4, 6-4.
Federer missed the French Open in 2016 because of a back injury, and then skipped the event in 2017 and 2018 to focus on Wimbledon. He won the title in Paris 10 years ago to finish his career in the Grand Slam.
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"You missed me, thank you very much for the welcome," Federer told the crowd after the close of his match. "I was pretty tense at first."
In addition, the organizers of the French Open announced that the American player Sam Querrey had retired from the tournament. Querrey, who had to face Spanish qualifier Pedro Martinez in the first round, was replaced on the main draw by the lucky loser Henri Laaksonen of Switzerland. A semi-finalist at Wimbledon in 2017, Querrey, ranked 62nd, invoked an abdominal problem to justify his abandonment.
Felix Auger-Aliassime, a Canadian teenager, also retired from Roland Garros because of an injury. The organizers said that the No. 25 seeded player suffered from pain in his left abductor muscle and that he would be replaced on the main draw by the lucky Spanish Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Auger-Aliassime is ranked 28th and reached the final of the Lyon Open this week.
Among the other players ranked in action Sunday, Croatian sailor Cilic, number 11, beat the Italian Thomas Fabbiano 6-3, 7-5, 6-1.
A year after surprising Novak Djokovic in the semifinal, Marco Cecchinato is absent after the first round. The French wildcard Nicolas Mahut returned from two sets in a 2-6, 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 victory over the Italian ranked 16th.
It was the first men's match on the new Court Simonne Mathieu, and Mahut seemed to blossom with the support of local fans.
The information provided by The Associated Press has been used in this report.
