Novak Djokovic opened his defense for the Australian Open title on Monday with a 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Jeremy Chardy in the last match of the first day’s program at Rod Laver Arena.
Djokovic is looking for a ninth record title in Melbourne, where there are strong differences from previous tournaments in the first Grand Slam of the year.
Whether they are mandatory face masks for all fans, quarantine codes on almost any visible surface or simply the absence of line people on the field, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced all sorts of changes around the world.
The grounds in Melbourne Park were divided into three “ventilation zones”, hand sanitizers proved to be more popular than the famous Aperol Spritz bar. Rod Laver Arena, with 15,000 seats, was full by about a third for Djokovic’s match, probably the biggest crowd at a major tournament in a year no fans and less than 1,000 were allowed at the French Open). The state government allows up to 30,000 fans a day, but no court can have a capacity of more than 50%.
“It’s great to see you back at the stadium. It makes me feel full of heart,” Djokovic told the crowd in the post-match interview on the field. “This is the most people I’ve seen on the tennis court in the last 12 months. I’m very grateful. There’s an ongoing love affair with me and this court, Rod Laver Arena. Let’s continue.”
Djokovic also produced a Melbourne masterclass, earning 91 points from Chardy’s 52 and an astonishing 86 percent of points when he got his first job. It was Chardy’s 14th straight consecutive win over Chardy.
He finished Day 1 full of stars on the center field, with Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams, Dominic Thiem and Simona Halep advancing easily before Monday’s final.
“Obviously it’s not a crowded crowd, as I’m used to,” said Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam winner. “But at the same time, just having any kind of crowd – playing in New York where there’s no crowd – is definitely nice.”
Almost every series player advanced to the second round, as Venus Williams, Alexander Zverev, Petra Kvitova, Stan Wawrinka, Bianca Andreescu and Nick Kyrgios won the opening. The only American, number 27, Taylor Fritz, also advanced. The 23-year-old Californian beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6). It is the first time since 2015 that a single US man was among the top 32 players in the field in Australia.
Top-ranked players who fell on Monday were Frenchman Gael Monfils, who lost in five sets to Emil Ruusuvuori, while former Aussie Open champion Angelique Kerber was eliminated 6-0, 6-4 in front of the American Bernarda Pera.
Kerber cited the two weeks of hotel quarantine as the reason for the lack of form; she was one of 72 players forced into solitary confinement in their Melbourne hotel rooms for two weeks after infections were reported on three charter flights to Melbourne. Players were not allowed to leave the rooms to train.
“Honestly, I didn’t feel the rhythm I had before the two weeks,” Kerber said. “I really tried to stay positive, but you feel it, especially if you play your first Grand Slam match against an opponent who doesn’t stay in the hard block.”
Rafael Nadal and hometown favorite Ashleigh Barty run the program for the first round of Day 2 in Melbourne (coverage begins Monday at 7pm ET on ESPN2, ESPN + and the ESPN app).
ESPN reporter Jake Michaels and The Associated Press contributed to the report.