Courtside

Swear 'n' volley

•Portugal's Joao Sousa was docked a point for swearing during his match against Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic and briefly refused to play while the supervisor was called. Sousa won 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2, 6-2 to set up a second-round meeting with Novak Djokovic.

Flippin' out

•American teenager Catherine Bellis reckons tossing the pre-match coin at a match between Maria Sharapova and Daniela Hantuchova at Stanford was tougher than winning her Roland Garros debut on Monday. "It was crazy, I think I was 12 years old. Way more nervous to toss the coin. Way more nervous. Yeah. I think I was shaking," said the 18-year-old.

Agassi meets the ex

•Andre Agassi, currently coaching Novak Djokovic, and Boris Becker, who worked with the Serb until last December when they went their separate ways, enjoyed a warm handshake in the players' box during the defending champion's first-round win over Marcel Granollers.

Milos miffed

•Canada's Wimbledon runner-up Milos Raonic is not convinced by plans to shorten sets and install a shot clock at the season-ending NextGen tournament. "Should tennis be more TV friendly? Yes. Do I believe those are the solutions? No," he said.

From Fed to freefall

•Ernests Gulbis famously reached the semifinals in Paris in 2014, beating Roger Federer on the way. However, the Latvian arrived at Roland Garros ranked 230 in the world and not having won a main-draw match since reaching the fourth round in 2016. On Monday, he lost in straight sets to Marin Cilic, a result which will see him drop out of the top 500.

Touting Tsonga

•French soccer star Kylian Mbappe has picked compatriot Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as his outside bet to triumph at Roland Garros - though there are no prizes for guessing who the Monaco striker rates as favorite.

"(Rafa) Nadal (is favorite), because he's incredible on clay," Mbappe told the tournament's website. "And I'm backing Jo-Wilfried Tsonga too - although I'm biased, because I've got a soft spot for him!"

Mbappe, 18, has emerged as one of the top talents in European soccer following a stellar season which ended with his club winning a first league title in 17 years.

Agence France - Presse