Novak Djokovic has made a winning return to the US Open by storming past Frenchman Alexandre Muller 6-0 6-2 6-3 to reclaim the world No.1 ranking and take the first step towards matching Margaret Court's record haul of 24 Grand Slams.
Unable to play at last year's event, due to being unvaccinated against COVID-19, Djokovic had not been seen on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts since his loss to Daniil Medvedev in the 2021 final.
Fans let him know they had missed him, showering the Serb with applause, as he emerged from the tunnel onto Arthur Ashe Stadium court. The three-time champion had clearly missed them as well, as he embraced the cheers of a record crowd of more than 30,000 that included former-US President Barack Obama and wife Michelle.
Arriving in New York after an absorbing win over young rival Carlos Alcaraz at the Cincinnati Open final, an in-form Djokovic showed the 84th-ranked Muller no mercy in his US Open main draw debut.
Firing on all cylinders, Djokovic, 36, broke the overwhelmed Frenchman to open the match and never took his foot off the gas, closing out the first set in 23 minutes with a thundering ace.
Djokovic broke Muller for a fourth time to open the second set and went 2-0 up, before his opponent held serve for the first time, raising both hands in triumph, as the crowd roared.
The cheers would be few and far between, as Djokovic closed out the second with a wicked forehand.
Muller showed more ambition in the third, taking the set to 3-3, before Djokovic took control by breaking the Frenchman twice on the way to closing out the match.
While the US Open has just got underway, Djokovic's win guarantees he will nudge Alcaraz out of top spot, when the world rankings are updated on September 11.
Alcaraz, who beat Djokovic in an epic Wimbledon final in July, opens his account against Germany's Dominik Koepfer.
The path to a 10th US Open final and a possible mouthwatering showdown with Alcaraz will get tougher, but Djokovic had one obstacle removed from his side of the draw, when Danish fourth seed Holger Rune was upset 6-3 4-6 6-3 6-2 by Spanish claycourt specialist Roberto Carballes Baena.
Next up for No.2 seed Djokovic is Spain's Bernabe Zapata Miralles, who was a straight-sets winner over American Ethan Quinn.
Reuters
