Men's singles first round
Novak Djokovic returned to Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday – and left as the winner as he has done so many times in the past.
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The Serb began his quest for a record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title and 10th at Melbourne Park by downing Roberto Carballes Baena 6-3 6-4 6-0 in the night session under a closed roof to the delight of the majority assembled. Indeed, he received lengthy applause when entering RLA.
Twenty-two is also how many consecutive matches Djokovic has now won at the Australian Open.
"Unbelievable atmosphere," Djokovic said on court afterward. "Thank you for giving me such a welcoming reception I could only dream of.
"I really feel very happy that I'm back in Australia and back here on the court where I've had the biggest success in my career.
"Definitely this court is the most special in my life, and I couldn't ask for a better start to the tournament."
The build-up
On the way to collecting his ninth AO crown two years ago, Djokovic overcame an abdominal injury sustained in a third-round victory against Taylor Fritz.
He came into this edition with a hamstring issue, which surfaced in his semifinal win against Daniil Medvedev – the player he topped in the 2021 finale – at the Adelaide International.
Djokovic duly saved a match point against Sebastian Korda in a mini-marathon to nab the Adelaide title, but admitted to reporters last weekend he had been "struggling" with the injury for the "last seven days."
The 35-year-old has not struggled for wins, however. A 23-1 record since the end of September proved as much.
Carballes Baena, 29, has spent most of his career plying his trade at Challengers, but also possesses a top-tier title.
Clay is the Spaniard's most productive surface, although the world No.75 did reach the Australian Open junior semifinals in 2011.
He attempted, and ultimately fell short, in his bid to claim a maiden top-10 scalp and top-50 win at a major outside Roland Garros.
Story of the match
Notable from the outset was strapping to Djokovic's upper left leg, which he also sported in practice ahead of the encounter.
Chants of "Novak, Novak" reverberated around Rod Laver Arena in the warmup and Djokovic – dressed in aqua blue – duly thumped an ace to open proceedings.
Djokovic saved three straight break points at 2-2 in the first, part of a stretch where he registered 12 consecutive points to take control. In between, he left the court for a toilet break at 3-2.
He ripped groundstrokes upon his return in a game that featured rallies of 24, 18 and 14 shots.
A flurry of lengthy games surfaced early in the second set, including at 3-3. Djokovic stretched a sliding Carballes Baena into both corners as part of a 28-shot rally for 15-30. But Carballes Baena responded with successive aces.
Djokovic stayed in the game and earned a break point when his drop shot dribbled off the top of the tape. A rocketed Djokovic backhand down the line sealed the game, and he barely dropped a point thereafter.
"Very, very pleased with the way I played in the third set," said Djokovic.
"I didn't give him too much chance to breathe from the back of the court. Served very well. Second set was kind of up and down, but credit to him for fighting."
Key stats
Djokovic has sprinkled in serve and volleys in recent years and in general, gone forward more. Against a fine mover like Carballes Baena, finishing at net can be a good option if approaching on penetrating shots.
Djokovic was spot on, winning 23 of 26 points at net.
What this means for Djokovic
The confidence Djokovic takes from Tuesday will in part likely depend on just how his hamstring feels on Wednesday morning.
He'll hope to manage the injury throughout the fortnight, fully aware that stiffer tests await.
In the second round, Djokovic meets either French qualifier Enzo Couacaud or Bolivia's Hugo Dellien.
MORE: AO 2023 men's singles draw
What's next for Carballes Baena?
Carballes Baena is scheduled to compete in South America's "Golden Swing" on clay after the Australian Open. A deep stay at a tournament might push him past his career-best ranking of 71.
Fans surely will be rooting for him after his determined effort against one of the game's greatest all-time players.
"He's a great guy," said Djokovic. "We train a lot in Spain."