A formality in the spotlight. Novak Djokovic kicked off his fortnight in an ideal way at Flushing Meadows where he made his big comeback in the night from Monday to Tuesday for the first “night session” of the tournament. The poor Frenchman Alexandre Müller, 84th at the ATP, did not see the light of day, saving only five games (6-0, 6-2, 6-3) in 1h35 of play and losing on a final double fault . This quick qualification for the 2nd round of the US Open, where he will face the Spaniard Bernabé Zapata Miralles, ensures the Serb to find the place of world number 1 whatever happens in two weeks.
After 23 minutes of play, he already had a set in his bag. This is to say if Novak Djokovic had no time to lose for his entry into the running in New York, after seeing his match start later than expected, it is true, around 11 p.m. local time. He even extended this dazzling takeoff by winning the first eight games (6-0, 2-0) before Alexandre Müller finally unlocked his counter. In total control, he had no occasion to tremble.
The ovation! After 35 minutes of play, Muller finally scores his first game against Djokovic
And to say that his serve was not up to the mark…
Only a few imperfections were therefore noted. It was even almost too easy for the “Djoker” who (very) slightly relaxed in the second part of the match, even giving up his commitment once at the end of the second set (6-0, 4-2), and waiting until 3-3 in the third to break away again, irretrievably this time. Dross in the service (53% of firsts only and 5 double faults), this is what he himself noted in his interview on the court as the main axis of improvement.
And this is perhaps the most frightening thing for his future opponents: Djokovic has room to do even better. Because for a start, it must be admitted that he frankly impressed. Fast, precise, hard-hitting (32 winning strokes for 23 unforced errors), he simply did not let an overwhelmed Müller breathe on the huge Arthur-Ashe court. His accelerations, both in forehand shift and backhand along the line, wreaked havoc, as did his millimeter returns. The “Djoker” therefore had every reason to smile: his return to the US Open is more than successful and the reconquest operation has started perfectly.