Djokovic in-form in opener
World No. 1 trounces American qualifier Krueger and will next meet Tsonga, whom he beat in 2008 final
Novak Djokovic began his bid for a record seventh Australian Open title in emphatic fashion yesterday, crushing 230th-ranked American Mitchell Krueger to set up a showdown with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
The world No.1 had reached the Australian Open second round for 13 consecutive years and that streak was never threatened by the qualifier, who caved in 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in the Rod Laver Arena.
Djokovic, appearing in his 300th Grand Slam match, did drop his second service game to go 1-2 behind in the first set.
But he broke back immediately and went on to record his 259th match win in a Major against a gritty but outclassed opponent.
"Playing him for the first time I didn't know what to expect," said the Serbian top seed. "He was very competitive and I had to work hard."
Djokovic closed out last season magnificently, making an astonishing climb back from outside the world's top 20 in June, winning Wimbledon and the US Open on the way to reclaiming the No. 1 ranking in November.
It was a stark contrast to the way he exited Melbourne a year ago at the hands of South Korea's Chung Hyeon in the last 16.
He then struggled as elbow surgery was followed by a string of poor results.
"It feels great to be healthy and back on this court again," Djokovic told reporters. "Twelve months ago, it was quite a different sensation on the court with the elbow injury.
"Twelve months forward, obviously things are quite different.
"I had a tremendous success in the last six months. It got me to a great position. Hopefully, I can follow up on this victory tonight with a good performance."
Djokovic, 31, will take a trip down memory lane next when he plays old foe Tsonga in the second round.
Frenchman Tsonga was on the losing side in the 2008 Australian Open final as Djokovic won his first of 14 Grand Slams.
"It's funny, I mean, 11 years after our first Grand Slam final here, it feels like a lot has happened for both of us," said Djokovic.
Former world No. 4 Tsonga, now 33, missed seven months of 2018 after knee surgery and needed a wildcard to get into the tournament after his ranking dropped outside the top 200.
"He also struggled with injuries lately," said Djokovic.
"It's good to see him playing well."
A younger, fitter and more dangerous opponent, Alexander Zverev, swept into the second round in straight sets.
The 21-year-old world No. 4 cruised past Aljaz Bedene 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 in 1hr 55min in the Rod Laver Arena.
"My body is close to perfection," Zverev proclaimed after the match, bringing howls of laughter from the crowd when questioned about his fitness after the match by on-court interviewer Jim Courier.
"It looks great, because I'm standing next to you," the German quipped to the American who won the Australian Open in 1992 and 1993.
Zverev ended 2018 by winning the biggest crown of his career when he overpowered Djokovic at the ATP Finals. - AFP
Men's singles, 2nd round
Today, from 8am:
- K. Anderson (x5) v F. Tiafoe
- M. Cilic (x6) v M. McDonald
- Y.Nishioka v K. Khachanov (x10)
From 11am:
- D. Evans v R. Federer (x3)
From 4pm:
- M. Ebden v R. Nadal (x2)
- Women's singles, 2nd round
From 8am:
- S. Stephens (x5) v T. Babos
- A. Barty (x15) v Wang Yafan
- J. Larsson v C. Wozniacki (x3)
From 4pm:
- B. Haddad Maia v A. Kerber (x2)
- M. Sharapova (x30) v R. Peterson
*All in Singapore time
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