French Open 2022: At 35, what drives Djokovic to keep competing? World No.1 reveals

Defending champion Novak Djokovic powered past Slovakian Alex Molcan 6-2, 6-3, 7-6(4) to go through the third round of the French Open 2022.

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Defending champion Novak Djokovic on Wednesday powered past Slovakian Alex Molcan 6-2, 6-3, 7-6(4) to go through the third round of the French Open 2022. The Serbian finished the day with 40 winners to 19 unforced errors in picking up his 83rd win at this event.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion has not dropped a set in his first two rounds in Paris since 2010 and has yet to lose a set against Molcan, improving to 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series.

"I'm pleased with the way I'm feeling on the court [and] the way I've been striking the ball," said Djokovic. "I think today was also under challenging conditions and playing against a specialist on clay, someone that is a tricky opponent and coming off from the [Lyon] final last week. It was never going to be an easy match, but I thought I performed very well."

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Djokovic is the top seed at Roland Garros for the fourth consecutive year. The World number one has not lost before the quarter-finals since 2010, and should he continue that trend this fortnight with a 16th quarter-final appearance in Paris, a blockbuster showdown with 13-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal could await.

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The Serbian, who turned 35 recently, missed the Australian Open earlier this year after being deported from the country over his unvaccinated status against Covid-19. However, Djokovic is unwilling to give up and reveals what keeps him going.

"It's great to see the crowd back, the full capacity on all courts. Lots of young people, lots of kids, this is something I really love to see. It always gives you energy, of course. For me, at this stage of my career, the crowd and this energy of people coming to watch me play is one of the biggest reasons why I keep on competing and playing professional tennis," the World number one revealed.

WATCH: Djokovic applauds crowd at Roland Garros

Awaiting Djokovic in the third round is Aljaz Bedene, who rallied from a set down to take out Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-4. The Serbian leads the Slovenian 3-0 in their ATP Head2Head series, including a third-round win at this event in 2016.