By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Novak Djokovic subdued Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, 6-1, 7-6 (4), 6-2, to score his 15th straight Australian Open win.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
Novak Djokovic launched his quest for a record seventh Australian Open with a clear flight plan.
The reigning champion was intent on a quick takeoff to keep dangerous opponent Fernando Verdasco grounded.
More: Nadal Sweeps Into Second Round
Djokovic broke serve six times and withstood a slight second-set stumble breezing by the Spanish lefthander, 6-1, 7-6 (4), 6-2.
A little more than two weeks into the season, Djokovic is already streaking.
The world No. 2 snapped top-ranked Andy Murray’s 28-match winning streak winning Doha to warm-up for Melbourne.
A focused Djokovic extended his Australian Open winning streak to 15 matches dispatching Verdasco, who held five match points against the Serbian before Djokovic roared back for a 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-3 Doha semifinal win.
Eager to prevent a return of the desert drama, Djokovic exploited an erratic Verdasco at the outset, breaking twice to take the opening set.
“I started really well. Great first set,” Djokovic said. “Great third set, as well. Second set was a long set with a lot of unforced errors from both sides. It was a gamble, really. He had two or three times a break up.
“I had my chances, 4-All, 5-All, many breakpoints. But in the end of the day, I knew that winning second set would be crucial, 'cause I definitely didn't want to give him wings, you know. I didn't want to have him start swinging at the ball, as he knows. I'm very pleased with the first round, considering I had one of the toughest first-round draws, definitely considering his form, how well he played in Doha. Just overall I'm feeling good about my performance.”
A year ago, Verdasco bounced compatriot Rafael Nadal out of the Australian Open first round with a dynamic five-set victory.
It’s been almost seven years since the former world No. 7 last beat Djokovic on the red clay of Rome and nearly 11 years since Verdasco’s lone hard-court win over Djokovic in their first clash at the US Open.
Pounding his palm against his racquet after mis-hits as if trying to shake some sense into his stick in the first set, Verdasco settled down in the second.
Four consecutive breaks opened the second set. A cluster of Djokovic backhand errors gave the Spaniard the first break and a 2-0 second-set lead. Targeting the Spaniard’s weaker backhand wing, Djokovic broke right back for 1-2 before they exchanged breaks again. Down 4-5, Djokovic worked through successive holds to force the tie break.
Though Verdasco built a 4-3 lead in the breaker, he couldn’t match the second-seed’s baseline accuracy. Djokovic reeled off four consecutive points on Verdasco errors to build a two-set lead.
Verdasco’s lone double fault of the third set gave Djokovic the break and a 2-0 lead. He never looked back closing a strong effort in two hours, 20 minutes.
“I personally think that I could have drawn, say, an easier player. But nothing is easy obviously,” Djokovic said afterward. “I mean, he's a quality player, a former top 10. He beat Nadal in first round last year here. He's a big match, big-time player.
“But I think from one perspective it was good that I got to have the very tough first-round match, because it made me prepare better and kind of approach this match and the tournament with the right intensity right from the blocks, right from the first point. That's the one thing I'm pleased with.”
Another reason for satisfaction: Djokovic is 5-0 against second-round opponent Denis Istomin, including a pair of straight-sets wins at the 2010 and 2014 Australian Open.
Time off from tennis helped the 12-time Grand Slam champion recharge mentally and readjust technically. Djokovic, who hired long-time friend Dusan Vemic to his coaching team in the offseason, said he made some “tweaks” to his technique to alleviate pressure on his arm.
“Certain tweaks, certain adjustments, yes, I had to make,” Djokovic said. “Obviously I worked in the off-season on certain elements in my game, certain shots, technique, trying to emphasize certain aspects of my game where I can get better, which didn't work so well in the last couple months of 2016.
“I thought we did good work on the court, because that's probably the only time of the year when we can actually put in a lot of hours on the court and for several weeks in a row actually train without having any official match.”