Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic kickstarted his French Open title defence with a hard-fought, challenging victory over French player Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the first round on Tuesday night.

Djokovic, still searching for his best form, defeated the home favourite 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-4 to start his campaign. Herbert`s heavy kick serve and sumptuous touch almost got the best of Djokovic, until the multi-time grand slam champion bounced back in the tie-break and won. After a drop shot-volley combo that helped Djokovic secure a 3-0 lead during the tie-break, the Serbian was unstoppable and Herbert`s baseline game proved to be a letdown.