Novak Djokovic turned up at his pre-tournament press conference accommodated by a famous accomplice: Mickey Mouse.

The world No. 1 made sure his first match on Arthur Ashe Stadium was no trip to the Magic Kingdom for Joao Souza.

Launching his quest for a second US Open title,  a dominant Djokovic dismissed Joao Souza, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, in a one hour, 11-minute mismatch.

A relaxed Djokovic said it was a victory on two fronts: The commanding performance infuses him with confidence and sends "a good message" to the rest of the field.

"You're making, first of all, yourself feel good on the court. You're trying to approach every match in a way that you want to approach," Djokovic said. "Of course, it's easier said than done to really play well. Especially in the first matches of a new tournament. But with a dominant win like the one today, it adds to your confidence, your self-belief. But it's also making a statement for everybody that is out there watching."

Champions are not only competitors, they're spectators during the early stages of Grand Slams. Djokovic knows it and wants opponents to know he means business.

"We are all watching each other's matches. We are all seeing how each other progresses," Djokovic said. "It's important you're out on the court with the right intensity and you're sending a good message, and I've done so."

It was an ideal start for the reigning Wimbledon champion, who served 75 percent, hit eight aces, won 36 of 39 points played on his first serve and did not face a break point in outclassing the 91st-ranked Brazilian, who has never won a US Open main-draw match.

"I lost three games the entire match against a player I never played against before. Can always be tricky because you're approaching the match without really knowing how he's going to react," Djokovic said. "First time playing on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The experience of playing in that stadium before many times has helped me to kind of step it up and execute my game plan and be aggressive. I think I've done great from the first to last point. Everything worked well. I couldn't ask for a better opening of this year's US Open. Hopefully I can continue in that rhythm."

Asked is he's motivated by the prospect a rematch with second-seeded Roger Federer in the final, Djokovic said he's inspired by capturing the silverware rather than any individual opponent.

"I'm not looking for a match against Federer. I'm looking for, I think, what most of the players are looking for here, and that's the trophy," Djokovic said. "I'm going to do everything in my power to get an opportunity to fight for a trophy. That's all I'm looking for."

Photo credit: US Open/USTA