Six-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic was in great form in his first competitive match since Wimbledon.
Novak marked his return to competitive play on Tuesday afternoon with an impressive display of power tennis and excellent movement.
Competing for the first time since Wimbledon 2017, Djokovic cruised past Donald Young 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 51 minutes on Margaret Court Arena.
The 14th seed broke his rival six times and dropped serve just once en-route to a one-sided win. He won 78% of points on his first serve.
“I played perfect tennis. Like I never stopped – and it was really enjoyable. A month ago I didn’t know if I was going to come to Australia or not because the elbow was still not prepared for this level of competition,” said Djokovic, who knelt down and kissed the court after sealing the victory. “It feels so great to be back here, to be back on the tennis court. There is no better place for me to start playing after six months away than here in Australia. I love coming here.”
Match statistics: aces (4-2), double faults (1-2), winners (33-24), unforced errors (27-45), total points won (101-68).
Novak will face world no.39 Gael Monfils in round two on Thursday. The 30-year-old Belgrade native has a perfect 14-0 H2H record against the Frenchman.
Last year, Novak fell in the Australian Open second round to wild card Denis Istomin.
Photo: Getty Images
