Novak Djokovic Makes Dominant Comeback at Rolex Paris Masters

Nice day at work for the circuit boss. A month and a half after his last competitive match in the Davis Cup with Serbia, Novak Djokovic made his big comeback on Wednesday for his entry into the second round of the Rolex Paris Masters.

The six-time champion at Bercy had no difficulty in defeating the Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry, 31st player in the world, in two straight sets (6-3, 6-2) and 1h24 of play. Building on this 14th consecutive victory (titles in Cincinnati and at the US Open in addition to that in the Davis Cup), the world number 1 will face the Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor in the round of 16.

It took him six short games to get his bearings. Then, Novak Djokovic continued, as if nothing had happened, even though he was returning from a long break to approach this final straight as fresh as possible. Never worried, he sized up his opponent before suddenly increasing the pace to lead by a set and a break (from 3-3 to 6-3, 2-0). He only had one break point to save, brilliantly kept away from a winning cross-forehand counter missile at the very start of the second set.

A slow trot back to school

Everything was not absolutely perfect on the Serbian side, there were a few slags here and there on the backhand or on a penalty forehand at the start of the match. His ball length also left something to be desired at the start of the game. But above all for Djokovic it was about sizing up his opponent, before eating him alive. Too solid, too constant, too sure of himself for Etcheverry, he gave the impression of accelerating when he wanted, notably to get the double break (6-3, 4-1). At the net, Djokovic was also rather comfortable (12 points scored out of 18), without being excellent. This shows his margin over his opponent.

Djokovic can serve better, return better, simply play better, but at this level he is already untouchable for most of the competition. After starting in doubles on Tuesday, he seems on track to gain momentum throughout the week. And with Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev already out of the picture, the horizon looks promising for the outgoing finalist.

2023-11-01 17:27:00
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