Djokovic races past qualifier Laaksonen and into third round

Playing lucky loser Henri Laaksonen in the second round of the French Open, Novak Djokovic raced to the finish line in just an hour and 33 minutes, posting a 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 victory.

"I think I served well," Djokovic said. "I used my forehand from different parts of the court really well. Solid backhand. Just two very solid matches."

Top-seeded Djokovic was locked in from the start as he reeled off five straight games, surrendering just one to claim the opening set. Laaksonen, who was contesting in the second round for the first time at Roland Garros, didn’t put up much of a fight to challenge the world No. 1. To his credit, he did retrieve a break in the second set for 3-3, but that was short-lived as Djokovic shut him down right away.

"I didn't drop the level too much. Maybe a few games in every—the first two matches, I had maybe a little drop of concentration where I lost my serve, but other than that, very solid, as I played as much as I need to play to win in straight sets. Didn't spend too much time on the court. So all is going in the right direction," Djokovic said.

The 32-year-old Serbian is bidding for his fourth straight Grand Slam, having won Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open. If he wins this event, he will become the first man in the Open Era to twice hold all four majors simultaneously.

He currently owns a total of 15 Slams, behind his two long-time rivals Roger Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal (17).

"I'm really honored to be part of, you know, one of the greatest rivalries in sport," Djokovic said about his rivalry with Nadal. They have played 54 times, with Nadal winning their last encounter in the Rome final almost two weeks ago.

"We have faced each other I think most of any two players that faced each other in history. And it keeps going. I am the player I am today because of him, for sure, and because of the rivalries we had because of the fact that he was always making me improve, and I think it's also vice versa, it's other way around."

In his next round, Djokovic will play Salvatore Caruso, who defeated home-favorite Gilles Simon, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.