Novak Djokovic Defeats Marcel Granollers in 1st Round of 2017 French Open

Defending champion Novak Djokovic had a successful start to the 2017 French Open on Monday, beating Marcel Granollers in three sets in the first round. The set scores were 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

Granollers put up a good fight but couldn't make the difference in key moments against Djokovic, who played his first match under new coach Andre Agassi.

The Djoker made an excellent start to his title defence with a serve game for love, but he ran into a bit of trouble early. After grabbing the break, he promptly gave momentum back to Granollers with a double-fault, to the frustration of Agassi.

Djokovic continued to put excellent pressure on his opponent's backhand, however, surviving a handful of incredible rallies to move back in front and take command of the set.

Live Tennis noted there was a clear change in some of his shots already:

With the break in hand, the Serb cruised to the finish line in the first set, sitting down with the advantage after nine games.

An immediate break followed in the second set, but while the Serb again played with the advantage, some sloppiness started to creep in. Not everything went his way, and he showed his frustration at times, per tennis writer Carole Bouchard:

Granollers barely threatened on Djokovic's serve, but the defending champion had to spend more time on the court in the heat than he would have liked due to his inability to put his opponent away quickly.

The Spaniard did a good job prolonging the set in the final two games but couldn't find the break he needed. Per Live Tennis, things still didn't come easy for the Djoker:

Djokovic started the third set on the right foot, grabbing yet another early break, but once again, things didn't go entirely his way. Granollers took full advantage of several unforced errors, breaking right back.

He couldn't enjoy his break long, as Djokovic again grabbed an advantage, but play remained tight between the two, via Eurosport UK:

Slowly but surely, the defending champion battled his way to the finish line as yet another break gave him a 4-1 advantage. Granollers still wasn't finished as Djokovic's serve faltered, but the Serb eventually booked his spot in the next round.

Djokovic will have to improve his serve and clean up his groundstrokes significantly to win this year's title. He's on track to face the in-form Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals.