Novak Djokovic began his French Open title defence with a solid if not spectacular victory over home hope Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

Serbia’s Djokovic, 37, upped his level when it mattered to win 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 in Tuesday’s night session at Roland Garros.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion will take sole ownership of the record of most major titles with a fourth victory on the Paris clay.

But he has come into the event in uncertain form.

Djokovic has endured a turbulent season, having been far from his lofty heights and not yet reaching a final.

Playing in Geneva last week was a sign he wanted to build rhythm and confidence before heading to the French Open, saying when he arrived that he had “low expectations but high hopes”.

Therefore, it was intriguing to see how Djokovic would look against 142nd-ranked wildcard Herbert.

Djokovic’s movement at the baseline did not always look comfortable and lacked some sharpness in his serving.

However, he generally returned well and was still able to pick his moments to strike – most notably in a commanding tie-break.

This year, Djokovic has appeared to lack some of the fire which has often fuelled his success but his demonstrative celebrations as he clinched the two-set lead indicated his pleasure.

Chances were rare in the third set before he piled on the pressure again in what proved to be the final game.

A stunning winner at deuce teed up a first match point and Herbert blinked to hand it over with a double fault.

“I’m glad I started the way I started, the way I felt on the court,” said Djokovic, who plays Spain’s world number 63 Roberto Carballes Baena in round two.

“Comparing to the previous weeks of tournaments I played [recently], I felt good, better. I’m moving in a positive direction.”

Mason Grady has signed a new Cardiff contract which ensures he remains eligible for Wales.

The centre or wing will stay at the Arms Park alongside fellow Wales internationals Cameron Winnett, Alex Mann, Mackenzie Martin, Corey Domachowksi, Keiron Assiratti and Seb Davies, who have all signed new deals.

Grady, 22, has played 11 internationals, but would have been ineligible for Wales selection had he moved to a club outside of the country because of the Welsh Rugby Union’s 25-cap rule.

Those playing outside of Wales are required to have 25 caps to represent their country after the number was dropped from 60 in February 2023.

“This is my home club and I have a lot of good friends here, who have come through the pathway together,” said Grady.

“It is a young and exciting group of players developing at the club and we have shown glimpses of our potential this season, despite results not going our way.

“On a personal level, I also believe this is the best place for me to continue my own development.”

Grady has scored 10 tries in 42 appearances since making his Cardiff debut in 2021.

“Keeping Mason was an important one for us as a club,” said Cardiff head coach Matt Sherratt.

“Retaining our young and exciting talent was essential and we want to build around this core group.

“Mason is a key member of this group and has the raw ingredients to establish himself as a world-class player.

“You cannot coach the size, power and speed, he naturally possesses. I am looking forward to seeing how far Mason can go in a Cardiff shirt.”

Born in America to a Saudi father and Egyptian mother, Zizo’s early upbringing saw him move between the two Arab nations.

A budding tennis player, it was during a warm-up on the running track while living in Saudi Arabia that he first laid eyes on the sport he would grow to love.

“I saw a boxing coach training people on the mitts. He walked up to me and asked me to give it a try,” Zizo says.

“But as one of nine siblings, my mum and dad didn’t want one of the younger ones to go round punching the others.”

His father insisted if he really wanted to box, Zizo should give it his all and outlined a regimented sleeping, training and diet plan.

Zizo moved to Los Angeles to study in 2019 but his plans to seriously pursue boxing suffered a setback as Covid lockdown forced the closure of amateur gyms.

He was then taken to the pro gym of former two-weight world champion turned elite coach Buddy McGirt – a fighter Zizo idolised.

Being a fanboy earned him no special treatment, as Zizo was introduced the harsh realities of boxing pretty quickly.

“I was sparring pros and was getting my behind handed to me on a silver platter ever single session,” he says.

“But I learned so much from the experience – like throwing the perfect body shot, which I had no idea of before.”