Novak Djokovic’s first match with former rival Andy Murray as his coach did not start all that well, even against a 19-year-old making his Grand Slam debut.
Still, after dropping his opening set at this year’s Australian Open last night to Nishesh Basavareddy, an American who left Stanford University and turned pro last month, Djokovic eventually asserted himself for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory to begin his bid for an 11th championship at Melbourne Park and a record 25th major title overall.
Before heading out into Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic and Murray chatted in the gym. They wrapped up the conversation with a fist bump, before Djokovic hopped on the treadmill to warm up.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Once they were on court, there was only the occasional interaction between player and coach — a pairing which still seems odd, given that the 37-year-olds were born a week apart, became opponents from the age of 12 and played in a series of Grand Slam finals as pros. Murray retired as a player at the Paris Olympics in August last year, Djokovic proposed teaming up in November.
On a busy and warm Day 2, which included nine Grand Slam champions with a combined 43 major trophies in action plus another half-dozen players with runner-up showings, the winners included No. 2 Iga Swiatek, No. 3 Coco Gauff and No. 7 Jessica Pegula among the women, and No. 1 Jannik Sinner and No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz among the men.
Earlier, noteworthy exits came from two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, and two-time major finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas. Ostapenko’s 6-3, 7-6 (6) loss came against Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Belinda Bencic, who is ranked outside the top 400 after returning in October from maternity leave.
Photo: AFP
Also one-and-done, but not that surprisingly: Nick Kyrgios, who lost to Djokovic in the 2022 Wimbledon final, and had played one total match over the past two seasons because of wrist and knee problems. Kyrgios was dealing with a strained abdominal muscle in the lead-up to this week and was defeated by Jacob Fearnley 7-6 (3), 6-3, 7-6 (2).
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