Djokovic cruises as top seeds progress

 

Originally published on 13/01/14

With new coach Boris Becker watching from the stands at Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic wasted little time as he defeated the Slovakian world No.90 6-3 7-6(2) 6-1 in an hour and 50 minutes.

The world No.2, who defeated Andy Murray in last year’s final, is bidding to become the first man in the Open era to win four straight titles in Melbourne Park.

"There are parts of my game where [Becker] can definitely help me out," Djokovic said of his new coach. "I can still see room for improvement with my serve, my return, with net play and so forth. But also from a mental point of view – Boris has won so many Grand Slam tournaments, he was No.1 in the world. He knows exactly the way I feel, what I need to face, what challenges I need to overcome during tough matches."

There were no dramas for the men’s top seeds in action on the opening day as David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych and Stanislas Wawrinka all eased into the second round.

Berdych claimed a comfortable 6-3 6-4 6-3 win over Kazakhstan’s Aleksandr Nedovyesov, while Ferrer beat Alejandro Gonzalez 6-3 6-4 6-4.

Wawrinka was the first man to reach the second round when his opponent Andrey Golubev retired with a leg injury with the Swiss leading 6-4 6-1.

It was not such plain sailing for last year’s Wimbledon semi-finalist Jerzy Janowicz, who came from two sets down to defeat 19-year-old Australian world No. 319 Jordan Thompson 1-6 4-6 6-4 6-2 6-1.

"It's probably some of the best tennis I've played," Thompson said. "But I'm pretty disappointed. Leading two sets to love, a couple of break points, I was a little bit unlucky on a couple of them. He's got a pretty bit serve. That's how he serves his way out of trouble." 

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