Zverev and Dimitrov progress; Djokovic enters the scene

(Monte-Carlo) Alexander Zverev began his season on clay with a tough 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Alexander Bublik in the first round of the Monte-Carlo Tennis Masters on Tuesday.

German, 13^e seeded, stepped onto clay for the first time since injuring his right ankle in his French Open semi-final match last year against Spaniard Rafael Nadal.

Zverev said it took him time to “heal the psychological wounds” associated with the incident and relearn how to slide on this playing surface.

Despite this, Zverev only committed nine unforced errors and landed 21 winners on the Rainier III court, setting the stage for a second-round duel against Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.

Grigor Dimitrov, who reached the semi-finals of this tournament on two occasions, also continued after beating American Ben Shelton 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. The 20-year-old tennis player was playing his first career match in Monte Carlo and he did not disappoint, challenging Dimitrov a few times during the duel which continued for more than two hours.

Dimitrov will face the Czech Jiri Lehecka in the next round.

For his part, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic will start his season on clay by facing Russian Ivan Gakhov, 198^e world racket later today. The 35-year-old Serbian hasn’t played since losing to Russian Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships five weeks ago – a loss that ended the defending Australian Open champion’s 20-game winning streak.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, who will covet a third consecutive title in Monegasque territory, will have an appointment with the Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi.

Rafael Nadal, world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz and Quebec’s Félix Auger-Aliassime (No. 7) have all skipped this tournament.