MELBOURNE, Jan 17: The supportive signs and dozens of Serbian flags and loud chants of Novak Djokovic’s nickname filled Rod Laver Arena, providing a warm welcome marking his return to the Australian Open a tournament he has dominated in the past but one he could not enter a year ago.
Djokovic acknowledged the greeting with a quick wave of his left hand when he stepped out onto the court.
He began the first-round match with an ace at 125 mph (201 kph) and a love hold, took control of that set with a 12-point run and was on his way to a 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 victory over 75th-ranked Roberto Carballes Baena that finished after midnight.
Djokovic’s participation is one of the chief story lines, perhaps the main one, of the first Grand Slam tournament of 2023. That’s because Djokovic never got to play a point last season at Melbourne Park, the site of nine of his major championships, because his visa was blocked and he was deported from Australia after a legal saga tied to his lack of any vaccination for COVID-19. He never did get the shots and also missed the US Open because of it. But Australia’s government has since relaxed coronavirus-related restrictions, allowing Djokovic to come to the country, and also waived a rule that could have stopped him from getting in for three years following a visa revocation. He has insisted that whole episode in January 2022 deeply affected him but that he does not hold a grudge; there certainly did not seem to be any hard feelings toward him Tuesday. Spectators who politely applauded Carballes Baena when he entered the stadium stood and roared for the 35-year-old Djokovic. When Djokovic switched sides of the net after the first game; when he was in the midst of climbing out of a love-40 hole in the first set (the only three break points he would face all night); when he broke to lead 4-3 in the second, there were more of those cheers at the end, and Djokovic smiled broadly. This was not necessarily Djokovic at his absolute best, and he appeared to show some frustration early on when he kept glaring and muttering in the direction of coach Goran Ivanisevic and the rest of his entourage in the stands.
But Djokovic did not necessarily need to be at his absolute best. He certainly produced strong enough tennis to take the initial step toward what he hopes will be a 22nd Grand Slam title to tie rival Rafael Nadal’s record for the most in tennis history by a man.
Djokovic, who has spent more weeks at No. 1 in the ATP rankings than anyone, also has a chance to return to that spot after the upcoming two weeks; the person presently occupying that perch, Carlos Alcaraz, is sitting out the Australian Open with a leg injury.
Thiem’s Belief
Dominic Thiem did not win his first match at the Australian Open in two years. Still, the 2020 US Open champion says he is still on the right track to get back toward the top of the game after wrist surgery took him off the tour for 10 months.
Thiem, the 2020 runner-up at Melbourne Park who needed a wild-card invitation to get in this time, lost to No. 5 seed Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 on Tuesday after needing treatment for an abdominal strain.
The 29-year-old Thiem fell as low as No. 352 in the rankings at one stage in 2022, but ended the year back inside the top 100.
Murray beats Berrettini
Andy Murray pulled off a stunning victory over Matteo Berrettini at the Australian Open as the five-time runner-up enjoyed another big moment in Melbourne.
Unseeded this year, former world number one Murray survived a match point against him to take a first-round thriller against the Italian 13th seed.
Murray had not lost a grand slam match after winning the first two sets since a third-round clash against David Nalbandian at Wimbledon in 2005, his first grand slam main-draw appearance.
Yet he almost let such a lead slip away this time, before digging deep for a 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-7 7-6 victory, achieved in four hours and 49 minutes.
Five-time Australian Open runner-up Murray faced a daunting opener, but both men would have hoped for a kinder draw. It seemed to be going firmly the 35-year-old Scot’s way when he swept through the opening two sets, but back came Berrettini to level up, edging a tight fourth that could have gone either way.
Berrettini had the contest at his mercy at match point against Murray’s serve at 5-4 in the decider, only to clatter a close-range backhand into the net when it seemed sure he would put away a winner.
The stakes were high as the match entered a final-set tie-break, and when Murray sped into a 5-0 lead he looked firmly in control. There were slight wobbles from that point, but Murray made sure, helped by a lucky net cord on match point as a service return trickled over.
Fake Covid certificate ?
Italian tennis player Camila Giorgi has denied allegations that she obtained a false COVID-19 vaccine certificate to allow her to travel.A doctor is under investigation in Italy for supplying false certificates and fake vaccines and Giorgi’s name was revealed in a long list of people implicated by an Italian newspaper.
On Tuesday after her 6-0, 6-1 win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at the Australian Open, Giorgi confirmed that she had visited the doctor but said she had done nothing wrong. Giorgi said she was vaccinated by the Italian doctor, and by medical officials in countries elsewhere.
Russia Belarus flags banned
Flags from Russia and Belarus were banned from the site of the Australian Open on Tuesday after more than one was brought into the stands by spectators on Day 1 of the year’s first Grand Slam tournament.
Normally, flags can be displayed during matches at Melbourne Park. But Tennis Australia reversed that policy for the two countries involved in the invasion of Ukraine that began nearly a year ago. One Russian flag was displayed during Ukrainian player Kateryna Baindl’s 7-5, 6-7 (8), 6-1 victory over Russian player Kamilla Rakhimova on Court 14 in the first round on Monday.
Another was offered to Russian player Daniil Medvedev to autograph after his 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 win over Marcos Giron in Rod Laver Arena on Monday night.Asked about the new flag ban, Belarusian player Aryna Sabalenka said after her first-round victory Tuesday that she would prefer that politics and sports remain separate, but understands the decision by Tennis Australia. (PTI)
