Djokovic Back With A Bang

The match proved easier than the Serbian's previous meeting with the 19-year-old Musetti, which came in the fourth round of the French Open last year. In that encounter, the Italian was forced to retire in the fifth set after holding a two-sets-to-love lead. Djokovic, eventually, went on to clinch the title in Paris.

"All in all, it's a straight-sets win, so of course I have to be satisfied with my tennis, especially after not playing for two-and-a-half, three months," Djokovic was quoted as saying by atptour.com.

"Of course, there were moments when I played great; there were moments when I made a couple of unforced errors in a row uncharacteristically. But it's normal to expect that (in my) first match after a while.

"I'm glad that I managed to finish out the job tonight in straight sets against a very talented player from Italy who possesses a lot of quality. Of course, he didn't have much to lose and in windy conditions (it was) a bit tricky to play. But all in all, a very, very pleasant experience for me," added Djokovic.

"I was fortunate to find the right serves on those break points I faced in the sixth game of the second set. That gave me huge relief obviously for the rest of the match."

It was the 37-time ATP Masters 1000 winner's first outing of 2022 and he sealed victory in 74 minutes with the help of 13 winners including five aces.

The 34-year-old Djokovic needs to perform strongly this week to give himself the best chance to retain his No. 1 ATP rank, which is under threat from Russia's Daniil Medvedev. The Serb's second-round opponent will be either Russian Karen Khachanov or Australian Alex de Minaur.

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