Novak Djokovic returned to tennis in his first tournament since his Wimbledon title. He faced off against Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci in his opener who defeated Pablo Cuevas in three tight sets to advance. The Serb shook off some of the early match struggles to take the match 6-3, 7-6(4)
Djokovic shakes off rust to capture opening set
The world number one was pushed in his opening service game as he was looking to shake off some rust. He was pushed to deuce and was nearly broken, but Bellucci’s backhand down the line hit the net as he didn’t get enough on it. The Brazilian was then pushed in his own service game battling through multiple deuces. A backhand from Djokovic leveled it at one-all, but that tough game looked to be the beginning of a long night for the former top 25 player.
After two straightforward holds for two-all, Djokovic found himself once again in another deuce battle. The Brazilian had his second break opportunity but could not convert on the tweener to take advantage of it. A third break chance was there for the taking, but an overhead smash from the Serb denied any chances of that.
After Bellucci had to save Djokovic’s first break point in the sixth game, the Brazilian found himself in a hole again. He had to save three break points falling down 0-40. He’d save the first two off of Djokovic errors but just when you thought the Brazilian was in control of the point at 30-40, he played a neatly placed backhand slice which forced Bellucci into an awkward position as he sent it wide to give Djokovic the break he needed to serve out for the set. All the Wimbledon champion needed was four points as he closed out the first set 6-3.
Bellucci falls short in second set tiebreaker
The Brazilian was looking to rebound from his opening set disappointment by trying to get a quick start in the second. He nearly did with two break chances on his serve. Djokovic saved the first with an ace, and the second on a volley that Bellucci chose to hit right at him rather than down the line.
Just as the Serb was impeccable at saving break points in the opening set, Bellucci did likewise in the second. He would save three break chances in the second including some vital ones in the seventh game down 15-40. Neither man could not find a way to capitalize on their opponent’s serve as they headed into a tiebreaker. The world number one was clinical in the breaker racing out to a 6-2 lead. The Brazilian held him off for sometime by saving three match points but faltered in the end losing the set and the match 6-3, 7-6(4).