Novak Djokovic started his ATP Finals campaign strongly with a 6-3, 6-2 win over tournament debutant Diego Schwartzman.
After the two players traded routine holds to kickoff the match, Schwartzman made the first move, capitalising on an error-strewn Djokovic service game to draw first blood. As well that he did because his lead was short-lived. The Serb peppered his opponent’s forehand to break back immediately.
Schwartzman was undeterred and continued to make inroads on the Djokovic serve, but without much onward success. Receiving at 4-3, the World No. 1 moved to take charge, getting the decisive break before closing out the first set without issue.
Djokovic carried that momentum into the second set, taking the first two games at a canter to make it five games in a row.
But, though Schwartzman was able to stem the flow there, Djokovic was well into the swing of things by that time. A second break followed to make it 4-1 in the second.
Though the Argentine restored a bit of his pride by winning his fifth game of the encounter, there was no stopping the Australian Open champion.
“The beginning of the match wasn’t so great for me,” Djokovic confessed in his on-court interview post-match.
“He broke my serve in the third game but I managed to break back. It was a close encounter until I broke his serve at 4-3 and managed to close out the first set. Second set, I started swinging through the ball a bit more, a bit less hesitation from both corners. I was very pleased with how I played in the second set especially.
“It’s tough for Diego, it’s his debut, his first match, he probably wasn’t playing his best in the closing moments of the first set. But it was a good opening match and I’m looking forward to the next challenge.”
About the COVID-19 restrictions, Djokovic also said it was surreal to be back playing at the O2, which routinely sells out every day of the ATP Finals, with no fans present and England in a national lockdown.
“I’ve been playing the ATP Finals in this arena for many years and I’ve been blessed to experience some incredible matches and atmospheres and I must say it feels very strange to play in front of empty stands.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
