"He's been giving me a few tips and tricks as a coach of World No. 1" - Sorana Cirstea on advice from Novak Djokovic's coach Goran Ivanisevic

An early winner on Day 1 of the 2022 French Open, Sorana Cirstea revealed that she recently received some useful advice from former Grand Slam champion Goran Ivanisevic, who is currently Novak Djokovic's coach.

Cirstea opened her Roland Garros campaign with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Tatjana Maria on Sunday. She looked strong and aggressive on the court, really taking the match to her opponent.

Speaking in her post-match presser, Cirstea revealed that Ivanisevic was rooting for her from the stands, something she was pleasantly surprised by.

"Today I was very surprised to see him because I know he's very busy with Novak. But he was very, very kind to be there," Cirstea said of Ivanisevic's presence during her match.

She then shed light on what she grasped from Ivanisevic during a practice session ahead of the French Open.

"Yeah, I was happy to see him there and he's just been giving me a few tips and tricks from a Grand Slam champion, and as a coach of No. 1, and someone that has so much experience. I'm very grateful and very lucky to have the chance to spend that hour on court with him," Cirstea continued.

The World No. 26 spotted Ivanisevic watching her practice a couple of days before the start of the French Open. She then asked him for his views on her game and other things related to tennis.

"So basically I just asked for his help and I was lucky enough to get an hour of his time. So he did spend that hour with me on the court two days ago and I talked with him a little bit about what's going through my head and just tennis talk easy. It was a very, very pleasant hour," she said.

"But that was all it was, it was just an hour of fresh eyes and just a bit of tennis talk and a different perspective," she added.

"I am much more relaxed, much more in peace" - Sorana Cirstea

2022 French Open - Day One

Once considered a 'young star' on the women's circuit, Cirstea is now an experienced campaigner. She has had a couple of good outings this season, especially compared to the last couple of years, and believes a lot of it has to do with a "more relaxed" mindset on the court.

"I was always a player that could play quite well, but I think in the past and especially when I was younger I was taking the losses a bit, they were hurting a bit too much, where now I am much more relaxed, much more in peace," she explained.

"Okay. I lose a match, okay, doesn't matter. Okay, next day we are back at the practice court, nothing changed, the world did not end," the Romanian added.

The former French Open quarterfinalist is yet to win a WTA title this season. However, she reached the fourth round at the Australian Open in January and a couple of semifinals (Lyon and Istanbul) since.

The Romanian will be determined to repeat her Roland Garros run of 2009, when she made the quarterfinals. She will face former Grand Slam champion Sloane Stephens in the second round.

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Also Check Out :- French Open 2022 Schedule