"It's great to be back, the memories from winning the trophy last year stayed with me in my head" - Novak Djokovic after 1R win at French Open

Novak Djokovic began his French Open title defense in style as he coasted to a 6-3, 6-1, 6-0 win over Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan on Monday. Over the course of his on-court interview after the win, the Serb asserted that playing in a Grand Slam was special and that it was "great to be back" at Roland Garros.

The 35-year-old, who celebrated his birthday on Sunday, added that the memories of last year's tournament win have stayed with him. After getting past Rafael Nadal in an epic semifinal, Djokovic got the better of Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final to win the 2021 French Open title.

"It's great to be back. Obviously, a Grand Slam is a Grand Slam. Historically, these four tournaments have been the most important in our sport," he said. "At the same time, its important always to find your motivation after so many years."

"Its not that difficult as I love playing in Grand Slams. The memories I had last year from winning the trophy stayed with me in my head," he added.

"Low bounce, very slow, very muddy on the court" - Novak Djokovic on the conditions at the French Open

The World No. 1 asserted his dominance against Nishioka

Rain pelted down on Court Philippe-Chatrier and the roof was closed midway through the opening set as Djokovic began to veer ahead.

Djokovic, who initially faced stiff resistance from Nishioka, grew into the contest as the match progressed. He dominated the World No. 99, who was no match for the 20-time Grand Slam champion.

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The defending champion revealed that the conditions he trained in before the start of the tournament were different from what he experienced on Monday evening.

"Coming into the court tonight in the night session. Different conditions from what I was training with these couple of days. Low bounce, very slow, very muddy on the court," he said.

Djokovic lauded his opponent for playing well in the opening stages and said that it was difficult to "go through him." The World No. 1 opined that serving well in the right moments helped him gain the upper hand.

"Nishioka surprised me in the beginning. I think he was playing well and it was difficult to go through him. So, I had to serve well, which I did in the important moments and that helped," he said.

The Serb, who is aiming to win his third title at Roland Garros, stressed that he could "feel the vibes" from the crowd as opposed to the past couple of years when COVID-19 restrictions prevented a full house.

"Obviously, the last few years with Corona, we didn't have the full capacity," he said. "This year, we have full capacity. So the atmosphere is different. You can feel the vibes and so it was fun."

Djokovic will square off against either Federico Coria or Alex Molcan in the second round.