The highly anticipated return of Novak Djokovic to the Madrid Open got off to a perfect start after he brushed aside Borna Coric 6-2, 6-4.
The world No.1 was eager to get his first clay court win of the season after suffering a shock loss to Jiri Vesely at the Monte Carlo Masters. Facing Coric in their first meeting on the tour, Djokovic was sublime with his serve throughout the opening set by dropping only five points. The serving might of been at the very top of Djokovic’s game, however, he only produced four forehand winners and one backhand winner throughout the 32-minute set.
Things were more level during the early part of the second set as the young Croatian fire some outstanding forehand shots to keep level with the top seed. The straightforward match for Djokovic encountered a minor blip half way through the second set. A double fault handed Coric his first break point of the match. He failed to convert after a forehand from Djokovic landed near the baseline, prompting the Croat to hit it out. The squandered break point did little to dampen the aspirations of Coric as he became a bigger threat towards the closing stages of the second set. Nevertheless, Djokovic remained the class act throughout as he applied the pressure onto Coric, who was serving to stay in the match. Two consecutive unforced errors from the youngster handed Djokovic the match and more importantly, his first win on the clay this year.
In his 78-minute triumph, the world No.1 produced 16 winners and 14 unforced errors. Furthermore, Djokovic also won 78% of his service points. Despite the straightforward win, the Serbian expressed great admiration for 19-year-old Coric.
“He’s mentally very strong and very mature for his age, I wish him all the best,” he said about Coric during his on court interview.
In the third round Djokovic will play Roberto Bautista Agut. Bautista Agut booked his place in the third round after battling past compatriot Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 5-7, 7-5. The world No.1 currently has a 3-0 head-to-head lead against the world No.17.
This year Djokovic is bidding to win the title in Madrid for the first time since 2011 as well as his 29th Masters title.
