Novak Djokovic (ATP 5) has started his quest for a 10th title at the Australian Open in an ideal way. The man with 21 major trophies took 2h02′ to get rid of Roberto Carballes Baena (75) in the 1st round.
The Serb won 6-3 6-4 6-0 ahead of the Spaniard to pick up his 83rd success in this first Grand Slam lift, the first since his final won in 2021 against Daniil Medvedev. For the record, he had been deprived of the 2022 edition after being expelled from the territory because of his vaccination status.
Novak Djokovic made an excellent copy, notably signing a perfect 3rd set. The big favorite of the tournament never found himself in danger on his engagement against Roberto Carballes Baena, who won only 15 points on the restart and did not get a single break point. And, perhaps more importantly, Nole didn’t appear to be in pain with his left thigh.
Crowned in the ATP Masters in Turin last fall then in Adelaide on January 8, the Serb will try to win in the second round – against Enzo Couacaud or Hugo Dellien – his 12th victory in a row on the circuit. Excluding the Laver Cup, he has won 31 of the 32 matches he has played since being eliminated in the quarter-finals at Roland-Garros last June against Rafael Nadal.
ats/pc
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Russian and Belarusian flags banned
matches interrupted for several hours due to the heat