On his return to his favourite Grand Slam after a year’s absence, the 21-time Grand Slam winner made quick work of the Spaniard. He virtually ended the match as a contest by taking a two-set lead, dropping only seven games along the way.
The former World No. 1 then emphatically strolled across the finish line, bagelling Carballes Baena to roll into the second round for the 16th straight year. It was also Djokovic’s first bagel set in the Australian Open first round since 2012 (Paulo Lorenzi) and fourth overall.
In an interaction on EuroSport, Schett went ga ga over Djokovic’s level of play, remarking:
Schett added:
Djokovic, chasing a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam singles title and a return to World No. 1, will next take on either Hugo Dellien or Enzo Couacaud on Thursday for a place in the third round.
“I really feel very happy that I’m back in Australia, where I had the biggest success in my career" - Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic has been on a roll this season. On his return to Australia following his deportation due to his medical exemption controversy, the 35-year-old won his 92nd career singles title in Adelaide last week.
With his win over Carballes Baena, Djokovic improved to a 6-0 win-loss record this season and 83-8 at the Australian Open. Following his 22nd straight win on Rod Laver Arena, the Serb said in his on-court interview:
He added:
Djokovic will move level with Rafael Nadal (22 Majors) if he wins his tenth title at Melbourne Park this fortnight.
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