MELBOURNE. – Novak Djokovic returned to the Australian Open nearly 700 days since winning the title for a ninth time and continued exactly where he left off at the Grand Slam, he has dominated with a commanding first-round win on Tuesday.
After regular Melbourne adversary Andy Murray conjured some old magic to stop last year’s semifinalist Matteo Berrettini in a five-set classic, Djokovic was cheered on to Rod Laver Arena to complete a manic day with scorching heat and drenching rain.
Deprived of a tilt at a record-extending 10th title last year after being deported on the eve of the tournament for not having a COVID-19 vaccination, the Serbian showed his class as he glided past Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena 6-3, 6-4, 6-0.
Welcomed like a returning hero by the evening crowd, many sporting Serbian flags, the 35-year-old Djokovic was imperious throughout and rattled off the third set for the loss of four points to seal an 83rd win at the tournament.
“It was an unbelievable atmosphere,” fourth seed Djokovic, who has now won 22 matches in a row in Melbourne since his last loss in 2018, said on court. “Thanks for the welcome and the reception that I could only dream of. Very happy to be back.”
After the bitter memory of last year when Djokovic was confined to a hotel housing asylum seeker while awaiting his fate, his return was incident-free as he showed no sign of the hamstring niggle that had cast a cloud in the build-up.
In women’s play, top seed and hot favorite Iga Swiatek overcame Camila Osorio 6-2, 6-3 under the closed roof on Rod Laver Arena to become the first player into the third round of the tournament.
The Pole was vulnerable when the 21-year-old Colombian attacked her serve but always looked to have control of the contest and set up a meeting with Bianca Andreescu or Cristina Bucsa after serving for the match for a second time.
“I think it was much tougher than the scoreline suggests,” said Swiatek. “It was tough but I’m happy that I was persistent in being proactive.” — Reuters
