Player Novak Djokovic makes a successful debut in Australia
A year later, Novak Djokovic made a successful debut at the Australian Open tennis tournament.
Fourth-seeded Djokovic defeated Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 in the first round of his first major tournament of the season on Tuesday morning.
The Serbian, who has won nine Australian Open titles, was kicked out of the country a day before the start of the tournament last year due to his COVID-19 vaccination status. This time, he did not miss the meeting and his supporters made sure to remember his presence.
“The atmosphere was incredible. Thank you all for staying despite the late hour. Also, I want to thank you for making me feel so welcome; “I couldn’t have asked for a better reception,” Djokovic told the crowd on the court after the match. I am very happy to be back in Australia, where I have had the biggest successes of my career. »
Cheering posters, dozens of Serbian flags and spectators chanting “Nole” seemed to carry him. Djokovic also briefly waved to the crowd with his left hand as he jumped onto the court around 10:30 p.m. local time. Then he hit the ground running and played at a very high level – the only worrying note was when he suffered a hamstring strain that forced him to bind his left leg.
“cog”
Speaking about the level of play, Djokovic said he was “in a hurry every moment” in the second set, then said he didn’t give his opponent a break in the next set. As for the hip muscles, the Serbian, who expressed concern before the start of the game, concluded after the game: “The leg is fine. It’s not ideal, but it’s getting better.
Djokovic opened the game at 201 km/h and won the first point at nil before taking control of the first set with a 75-to-12 run.e world racket. Djokovic finally sealed the result just after midnight local time [8 h mardi matin, heure de Montréal].
I am very happy to be back in Australia, where I have had the biggest successes of my career.
Meanwhile, Norway’s Kasper Ruud, the second seed, worked hard before measuring Czech Tomas Macak at 110 at the Margaret Court Arena.e 6-3, 7-6 (8), 6-7 (5) and 6-3 in the world. Ruud will now face American Jenson Brooksby.
Earlier, after 4 hours and 54 minutes, veteran Andy Murray cruised to an epic 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (7) and 7-6 (6) victory over Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday. ).
“It’s amazing what he’s been able to do after so many operations, after all these kilometers of racing throughout his career,” Berrettini said of the Scot. It shows his love for our sport, his love for such tough matches. »
Murray, 35, reached the first round of Grand Slam finals in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016. He lost four times to Djokovic and once to Swiss Roger Federer.
“He is a great champion. I say this often, noted Berrettini, who stars in a new documentary series cutoff point, From Netflix. I really liked the atmosphere during the game against him today. It was a very good match. Unfortunately, it did not end in my favor. »
The Brit won Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016, as well as the US Open in 2012.
66 ratedeMurray beat a top 20 Grand Slam player for the first time since 2017.
His next opponent will be either Thanasi Kokkinakis or Fabio Fognini.
It seemed unlikely that the evening program at Rod Laver Arena would be as high as the afternoon program featuring the Murray-Berrettini duel. First there was the 7-6 (8), 4-6, 6-1 victory of second-seeded Tunisian Ons Jabeur over Tamara Zidanschek, followed by Djokovic’s entrance.
