Ana Ivanovic played down fears over the state of her right knee after launching the defence of her French Open crown with an unconvincing straight-sets win against Italy's Sara Errani.
The Serbian's build-up to Roland Garros has been hampered by the injury she sustained in Rome earlier this month, and she played on Philippe Chatrier court with partial strapping on the front of her knee.
The 21-year-old, the eighth seed this year, posted a 7-6 (7/3) 6-3 victory over an opponent currently 44th in the world but she struggled to find her best form, especially in the first set.
Ivanovic was nonetheless delighted to have been given a good work-out in her first match back at Roland Garros since her victory over Dinara Safina in last year's final, and insisted her recent knee problems did not affect her today.
‘I just put it out of my mind and I don't want to think about it,’ said the defending champion, who was forced to withdraw from a recent tournament in Madrid because of the injury.
‘Obviously I'm going to feel it here and there - there is still a bit of residue, a feeling of discomfort.
‘But it's nothing that can stop me from doing what I have to do on court.’
Ivanovic added: ‘I expected a tough match and I worked hard for the points.
‘I kept my composure even when I was making mistakes. I think this match is going to be a good test for me.’
Ivanovic, without a title in 2009, began tentatively and was taken all the way in the first set by a battling Errani.
The Italian served for the set in the tenth game but Ivanovic managed to break.
After squandering two set points in the 12th game, she upped the tempo in the tie-break, going 4-1 up and eventually taking it 7-3.
Ivanovic improved slightly in the second set, breaking three times to take victory, on her third match point, in more than two hours.
Despite appearing to struggle with her serve, especially her ball toss, she maintained she was happy with that department of her game.
‘I was very happy with my serve,’ she added.
‘I sometimes got a little bit too excited so I'll have to take more time next time.’
Elsewhere on the opening afternoon of action in the French capital, there were wins for seeds Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Na Li.
Russia's Pavlyuchenkova, the 27th seed, beat Ioana Raluca Olaru of Romania 6-3 6-2 and China's Li, the 25th seed, ousted Marta Domachowska 6-4 6-2.
Mathilde Johansson, one of 19 Frenchwomen in the draw, was reduced to tears in the final stages of her defeat to Russia's Vitalia Diatchenko, and in the after-match press conference, after blowing a host of match points to go down 2-6 6-2 10-8 in a marathon encounter.
Diatchenko, a qualifier, could meet new world number one Safina in the second round.
Frenchwoman Emilie Loit also lost, to Timea Bacsinszky, but the locals were able to cheer Julie Coin's straight-sets victory over Nuria Llagostera Vives.
