Second seed Novak Djokovic is through to the third round of the Australian Open after dismissing Japan’s Tatsuma Ito in straight sets.
The reigning champion battled to a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2, win over the world No.146 during blustery conditions in Melbourne Park on Wednesday. Despite facing some stern resistance throughout the second set, the Serbian managed to maintain his dominance with the help of a solid performance. Against Ito, Djokovic dropped only three points behind his first serve (43/46) and didn’t face a single break point in the match. Furthermore, he also hit 30 winners alongside 17 unforced errors.
“Credit to him for fighting till the end, the second set was pretty close,” Djokovic said during his on-court interview.
“They were tough conditions, pretty windy and it was hard to know where the balls were going. He was playing pretty aggressive and flat with not too many errors in the second set.’
“My serve helped a lot to get me out of trouble.”
Besides the challenge he faced from across the court, the world No.2 also had to deal with mother nature. After rain caused havoc on the first day of the tournament, the third day saw players trying to prevail in blustery conditions. Something that failed to unsettle somebody of Djokovic’s calibre.
“You have to focus on yourself and what you need to do. Having a low balance and not losing the base when you are moving around the court.” He explained.
“The wind can get you out of that comfort zone really quickly, but also it depends on who you play against.’
“Today I knew the shots would come pretty quick from the other side of the net so I had to stay low and put some variety in my shots. It worked well.”
The win is Djokovic’s 70th in the main draw at Melbourne Park since 2005. Making it the third grand slam tournament he has reached the milestone at. The only exception is the French Open, where he winning tally currently stands at 68.
This year the 32-year-old is trying to claim a record eighth title at the same grand slam. A milestone that has only previously been achieved by Rafael Nadal (12 French Open titles) and Roger Federer (eight Wimbledon).
Awaiting Djokovic in the next round is another Japanese player in the shape of Yoshihito Nishioka, who is through to the third round for the first time in his career. The world No.71 knocked out 30th seed Dan Evans 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
“I’m going to prepare for the match very similar to this one. Although Nishioka is a left-handed player.” Said Djokovic.
“He is probably one of the quickest players on the tour. I played him a couple months ago in the Davis Cup and I know what his strengths and weaknesses are to make a game plan.”
In their previous meeting at the Davis Cup last November, Djokovic thrashed Nishioka 6-1, 6-2.
