- China should use fiscal policy to boost growth: IMF
- Wolfspeed and ZF put German chip factory on ice
- Putin faces calls for peace at flagship BRICS summit
- Stock markets and oil prices retreat
- Dupont back in France squad for November internationals
- Caelan Doris to captain Ireland in November rugby Tests
- 14 dead, thousands evacuated as tropical storm batters Philippines
- Boeing reports $6.2 bn loss on strike, defense contract woes
- Germany's Scholz heads to India despite differences on Russia
- Sri Lanka deploys troops to Jewish community centre after US warning
- Sione Tuipulotu named as Scotland captain for November internationals
- 'I'm broken', mass rape victim tells French court
- Don't let tech gurus decide the future: Nobel winner Simon Johnson
- Palestinian seeds join Arctic 'doomsday vault'
- Ariana Grande concert attack survivors win UK harassment case
- Blinken on new quest for Saudi ties with Israel
- UK and Germany sign 'milestone' defence deal
- Seoul says N.Korea sent more troops to Russia, Kyiv urges their surrender
- Mehidy, Jaker keep Bangladesh alive against South Africa
- Stock markets mixed, oil prices drop
- Stokes forecasts spin battle in Pakistan-England decider
- Volvo Cars cuts sales forecast on market headwinds
- South Africa 'shattered' by divorce of rugby star Kolisi
- Putin touts 'multipolar world order' at flagship BRICS summit
- Deutsche Bank profits boosted by legal settlements
- WHO says 'intense bombardment' halts Gaza polio vaccinations
- UK's Starmer plays down Trump team claims of interference
- Son of Singapore's founder granted asylum in UK
- Mehidy, Jaker take Bangladesh into lead over South Africa in Test
- Stocks mixed as rate cut bets are trimmed, US vote in focus
- Seven dead, thousands evacuated as tropical storm batters Philippines
- Pant fit for second Test as Gill gives India selection 'headache'
- S. Korean Olympic shooter Kim keeps cool over newfound fame
- UN chief in Russia for Putin's BRICS summit
- Markets mixed as rate cut bets are trimmed, US vote in focus
- US says 'now is the time' to end Gaza war
- Harris to face voters' queries in crucial Pennsylvania
- Mehidy fifty steers Bangladesh towards parity at 201-6
- King Charles arrives in Samoa, where Commonwealth looks to shed stodgy image
- Ohtani 50-50 baseball sells for record-breaking $4.39 million
- Morikawa says 'winning is tough' ahead of Japan title defence
- New Zealand's Bowes smashes record-breaking 103-ball double ton
- Troubled Boeing faces investors and awaits strike vote
- Indian capital chokes as 'hazardous' air pollution returns
- Thousands flee homes as fierce tropical storm batters Philippines
- Tokyo Metro shares rocket on debut
- Israel says killed Nasrallah's apparent successor in Beirut strike
- Climate change worsened deadly Africa floods, scientists say
- Los Angeles Dodgers baseball icon Fernando Valenzuela dead at 63
- Indian capital's 'hazardous' air pollution season starts
'Won't get too excited', says Djokovic after winning French Open start
Defending champion Novak Djokovic reached the French Open second round for the 20th time on Tuesday but insisted he "won't get too excited" after enduring a worrying decline in form and achievements this season.
Djokovic, chasing a fourth title at Roland Garros and record 25th Grand Slam triumph, came through against 142nd-ranked French opponent Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4.
However, without a title or even a place in a final this season for the first time since 2018, Djokovic wasn't getting too far ahead of himself.
"In Monte-Carlo (beaten in the semi-finals), Rome (lost in the 3rd round) and Geneva (beaten in the semi-finals), I started the tournament really well. My first matches were great," he said.
"But the second or third, it was something else... So I don't want to get too excited."
The 37-year-old Djokovic, who saw career-long rival and 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal exit the tournament on Monday, arrived in Paris under a cloud.
His best runs were to the semi-finals of the Australian Open, where he lost his title to Jannik Sinner, Monte Carlo and Geneva.
Adding injury to insult he was then accidentally hit on the head by a metal water bottle in Rome and suffered stomach problems at the Switzerland event last week.
"It was a good performance tonight from me," added Djokovic after his 93rd career win at Roland Garros.
"It was solid. I could have done better on the return games, but congratulations to him for serving very well.
"I felt better compared to the previous weeks. I'm moving in the right direction. But it's only the beginning. It's only one match. We have to see how I will progress in the tournament, how my feelings will evolve."
Djokovic, who has advanced to the French Open quarter-finals or better every year since 2010, will face Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena for a place in the last 32.
"I'm happy with my state of mind on the court, it's something I was looking for," added Djokovic.
"And where are you going to feel that if it's not in the Grand Slams? I've been saying it over the last few years, the Grand Slam tournaments are the ones that make me get up every morning and go train. I hope to go far once again."
P.Martin--AMWN