Reuters, Tokyo
Men’s number one Novak Djokovic remained steady on his quest to become the first male player to complete the Golden Slam on Monday.
Top-ranked Djokovic, who is attempting to become the first man to win all four Grand Slam titles and Olympic gold in the same calendar year, had a 6-4 6-3 win over Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany in the men’s singles.
The players were evenly matched at the start of first set but the 20-time Grand Slam champion proved too strong, pouncing on Struff’s serve while leading 5-3 to take the first set.
An early break in the second secured the victory.
“It was a tough opponent for a second round… but you know, I’m very pleased with the way I felt on the court,” Djokovic told reporters.
Struff’s compatriot and fourth seed Alexander Zverev brushed aside Daniel Elahi Galan of Colombia 6-2 6-2, while world number two Daniil Medvedev breezed through with a comfortable 6-2 6-1 win over India’s Sumit Nagal.
The tennis tournament reported its first COVID-19 case among players on Monday after men’s doubles competitor Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands tested positive.
Rojer is the sixth member of the Dutch Olympic delegation to test positive after infections reported by a skateboarder, a taekwondo fighter and three members of the rowing team, including staff.
Rojer and his partner Wesley Koolhof were placed in isolation, while their second-round opponents from New Zealand received a walkover into the quarter-finals, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said in a statement.
