Novak Djokovic made a strong begin to his Australian Open marketing campaign with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-1 victory over American Nishesh Basavareddy within the first spherical.
Djokovic, a ten-time champion in Melbourne, was joined by new coach Andy Murray, who supplied on-court recommendation after the third set.
Djokovic, who was eradicated within the semi-finals final 12 months by eventual champion Jannik Sinner, fired 23 aces, together with one on match level, to seal his spot within the second spherical.
After the match, he praised Basavareddy for his efficiency, acknowledging that the younger American performed higher for a set and a half. Djokovic, who has received 24 Grand Slam titles, was impressed by the problem Basavareddy posed regardless of not being conversant in his sport till only a few days in the past.
Whereas Djokovic appreciated the steering from his former rival, he admitted that having Murray in his nook felt “slightly little bit of an odd expertise.”
The 2 have competed in opposition to one another for over 20 years, and Djokovic described the teaching setup as a brand new dynamic. “It’s all enterprise for us now,” stated Djokovic, emphasising how helpful Murray’s perspective was throughout the match.
The Serb’s quest for a twenty fifth main title in Melbourne additionally comes off a profitable 12 months in 2024, the place he secured his first Olympic singles gold medal in Paris. His present focus is on the Australian Open, the place he’s seeded to probably face world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz within the quarterfinals, No. 2 Alexander Zverev within the semifinals, and No. 1 Jannik Sinner within the closing.
In different Australian Open motion, Britain’s Jacob Fearnley shocked the house crowd by defeating Nick Kyrgios in straight units, 7-6 (3), 6-3, 7-6 (1). Kyrgios, who has been tormented by accidents, struggled for kind in his first singles match since October 2022, as Fearnley broke serve simply as soon as and dominated the match. Kyrgios, who had been the middle of a lot anticipation for his return, now faces an unsure future within the match.
Afterwards, Kyrgios – who is because of play within the doubles alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis on Wednesday – reiterated it might have been his Australian Open farewell as a singles participant.
“Realistically I can not see myself taking part in a singles match right here once more,” he stated.