In his first-round match, Novak Djokovic took on world no. 75, Roberto Carballes Baena, who specializes mostly on clay courts.
The fourth-seeded Serbian was coming to Melbourne after previously winning the last three editions of the event that he took part in, and also, he dominated the ATP 250 event in Adelaide, that he played before the 2023 Australian Open started. Therefore, it's not a surprise that he was the big favourite against the Spaniard.
The first set started well for the lower-ranked Carballes Baena. The scoreboard showed 2-2 and he had three break points to lead against the 21-time Grand Slam champion. However, then Djokovic started a 12-point winning streak and turned around the set to eventually win it 6-3.
The first set included also an interesting moment, when during the changeover at 3-2, Djokovic requested umpire to use a toilet (something not very common during a changeover). It seemed that there was a misunderstanding between the two as he proceeded to leave the court.
However, the umpire announced that she will call the time, and afterward, the Serbian would have 30 seconds to return before she issued a time violation. Djokovic managed to do that in time and continue without any troubles.
In the second set, Djokovic needed only one break again, to win 6-4, before starting a show in the third set.
The Serbian must have turned into a big wall that returned every ball for his opponent in the third set. He lost only four points and hit 14 winners, while making only two unforced errors. The set lasted only 24 minutes and Djokovic won the match after two hours and three minutes 6-3, 6-4, 6-0.
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