Like slipping into a comfortable bath, Novak Djokovic eased into his title defence at the US Open Monday night, albeit with a few wrinkles to iron out in the coming rounds.

Returning to hard courts for the first time since Indian Wells in March and playing his first tournament since winning Olympic gold on clay in Paris three weeks ago, Djokovic didn’t bring his cleanest game to Arthur Ashe Stadium. The four-time champion threw in 10 double faults, put just 47 per cent of first serves into play and made 40 unforced errors.

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But despite the stains on the stats sheet, Djokovic was always in full control of his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Albot, closing out the 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 win in two hours and seven minutes, sending fans on their way just before midnight.

Joking before the match that he was seeking revenge on Albot, who has wins over his brothers Marko and Djordje, Djokovic captured a record 78th win by a male inside Ashe.

"I wanted to kick start the tournament in the right way and I think I did," Djokovic said on ESPN. "Some ups and downs which I think is normal, getting the rust off your shoulders coming off a different surface and the Olympic Games.

"I haven't played on hard courts for six months, so I'm still finding that groove, finding the tempo on the court."

Moving into a tie with Roger Federer for most wins at the Open (89), second only to Jimmy Connors (98), Djokovic was untroubled in his return to hard courts in his first appearance since claiming the Olympic singles gold medal in Paris, where he completed the career Golden Slam.

Chasing a 25th major to break a tie with Australia’s Margaret Court, Djokovic next faces fellow Serbian Laslo Djere, who defeated German Jan-Lennard Struff in five sets.

The No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings is also hunting his 100th career title this fortnight.

Djokovic, who won the first of his four US Opens in 2011, improved to 30-7 on the season. Over his Grand Slam career, the 37-year-old is 62-1 versus players outside the Top 100 and at the US Open he is 41-0 against players outside the Top 50. Albot slipped to 107-147 according to the Infosys ATP Match Wins Index.

The defending champ cruises to R2 🚢 @usopen | #USOpen | @DjokerNole pic.twitter.com/b7dGrz52za

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 27, 2024

World No. 138 Albot was making his 10th US Open main draw appearance after qualifying for the third time.

Albot had momentum for a fleeting moment in the second set when he broke back at 2-all and led 40/0 on serve, but Djokovic responded with a flurry of penetrating returns to win five consecutive points to reclaim the lead in emphatic fashion.

 

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