Nadal takes out Paire in first round

FRENCH OPEN Launches quest for 10th title in style after brushing aside Frenchman in less than two hours It is an incredible honour and good luck to have him with me on the team. Every day is special with him. I am learning something every day.

Rafael Nadal launched his quest for a record 10th French Open title with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 win over Frenchman Benoit Paire on Monday.

Nadal, who was forced to withdraw before last year’s third round with a wrist injury, broke Paire eight times to brush aside the world number 45 in less than two hours. “I’m very happy to be back here after what happened last year. It’s great to feel the support,” said the 14-time major champion.

Nadal dominated the opening set, then recovered from a slight second-set wobble when he dropped serve twice in a row to surge into a round two meeting with Dutchman Robin Haase.

The Spaniard, whose last Grand Slam triumph came at Roland Garros in 2014, improved his incredible French Open record to 73 wins and just two losses.

Nadal lost this year’s Australian Open final in a five-set epic to Roger Federer, but the 30-year-old has marked himself out as the favourite on his preferred surface.

The fourth seed arrives in Paris with three clay-court titles to his name this season -- winning both Monte Carlo and Barcelona for a 10th time, while securing a fifth Madrid Masters crown. wobble saw him fail to convert eight set points at 5-3.

Djokovic kept his cool to earn the second set and pounced on the Spaniard’s accumulating mistakes in the third set to seal victory on his first match point.

With Agassi making a fast exit from the stands at the conclusion of the match, Djokovic heaped praise on his new coach.

“It is an incredible honour and good luck to have him with me on the team,” Djokovic said. “Every day is special with him. I am learning something every day.”

“I changed everyone (coaches). But I will not change my wife. My wife never.”

You know, my dad he was such a big part of my tennis life, just an emotional time. Yeah, it’s not about tennis right now.