Ruthless Djokovic makes profitable return to US Open

Novak Djokovic made a profitable return to the US Open by storming previous Frenchman Alexandre Muller 6-0 6-2 6-3 on Monday to reclaim the world primary rating and take step one in direction of matching Margaret Court’s file haul of 24 Grand Slams.

Unable to play finally yr’s occasion resulting from being unvaccinated in opposition to COVID-19, Djokovic had not been seen on the Flushing Meadows exhausting courts since his loss to Daniil Medvedev within the 2021 ultimate.

And followers let the 36-year-old know that they had missed him, showering the Serb with applause as he emerged from the tunnel onto Arthur Ashe Stadium court docket.

It was clear that the three-time champion had missed them in addition to he embraced the cheers of a file crowd of over 30,000 that included former US President Barack Obama and his spouse Michelle.

Arriving in New York on the again of an absorbing win over his younger rival Carlos Alcaraz within the Cincinnati Open ultimate, an in-form Djokovic confirmed the 84th ranked Muller no mercy in what was his US Open essential draw debut.

Firing on all cylinders, Djokovic broke the overwhelmed Frenchman to open the match and by no means took his foot off the fuel, closing out the primary set in 23 minutes with a thundering ace.

Djokovic broke Muller for a fourth time to open the second set and went 2-0 up earlier than his opponent held serve for the primary time, elevating each palms in triumph as the group roared.

But the cheers could be few and much between as Djokovic closed out the second with a depraved forehand.

Muller confirmed extra ambition within the third, taking the set to 3-3 earlier than Djokovic took management by breaking the Frenchman twice on the way in which to closing out the match.

While the US Open has simply acquired underway, Djokovic’s win ensures he’ll nudge Alcaraz out of prime spot when the world rankings are up to date on September 11.

Alcaraz, who beat Djokovic in an epic Wimbledon ultimate in July, opens his account on Tuesday in opposition to Germany’s Dominik Koepfer.

The path to a tenth US Open ultimate and a doable mouthwatering showdown with Alcaraz will get more durable however Djokovic had one impediment faraway from his facet of the draw when Danish fourth seed Holger Rune was upset 6-3 4-6 6-3 6-2 by Spanish clay court docket specialist Roberto Carballes Baena.

Next up for quantity two seed Djokovic is Spain’s Bernabe Zapata Miralles, who was a straight-sets winner over American Ethan Quinn.