Daily Times

Novak Djokovic made a solid start to his Australian Open campaign with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-1 victory over American Nishesh Basavareddy in the first round.

Djokovic, a ten-time champion in Melbourne, was joined by new coach Andy Murray, who provided on-court advice after the third set.

Djokovic, who was eliminated in the semi-finals last year by eventual champion Jannik Sinner, fired 23 aces, including one on match point, to seal his spot in the second round.

After the match, he praised Basavareddy for his performance, acknowledging that the young American played better for a set and a half. Djokovic, who has won 24 Grand Slam titles, was impressed by the challenge Basavareddy posed despite not being familiar with his game until just a few days ago.

While Djokovic appreciated the guidance from his former rival, he admitted that having Murray in his corner felt “a little bit of a strange experience.”

The two have competed against each other for over 20 years, and Djokovic described the coaching setup as a new dynamic. “It’s all business for us now,” said Djokovic, emphasising how useful Murray’s perspective was during the match.

The Serb’s quest for a 25th major title in Melbourne also comes off a successful year in 2024, where he secured his first Olympic singles gold medal in Paris. His current focus is on the Australian Open, where he is seeded to potentially face world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals, No. 2 Alexander Zverev in the semifinals, and No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the final.

In other Australian Open action, Britain’s Jacob Fearnley stunned the home crowd by defeating Nick Kyrgios in straight sets, 7-6 (3), 6-3, 7-6 (1). Kyrgios, who has been plagued by injuries, struggled for form in his first singles match since October 2022, as Fearnley broke serve just once and dominated the match. Kyrgios, who had been the center of much anticipation for his return, now faces an uncertain future in the tournament.

Afterwards, Kyrgios – who is due to play in the doubles alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis on Wednesday – reiterated it could have been his Australian Open farewell as a singles player. “Realistically I can’t see myself playing a singles match here again,” he said.