‘Flawless’ Djokovic crushes Chardy in AO warning

MELBOURNE (AFP): Defending champion Novak Djokovic said he played “flawless and dominant” tennis to blast past Frenchman Jeremy Chardy on Monday in an ominous start to his bid for an unprecedented ninth Australian Open (AO) title.

The Serbian World number one, who clinched his 17th Grand Slam in last year's gripping Melbourne final against Dominic Thiem, wasted little energy in the 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 romp in just 91 minutes at the Rod Laver Arena.

The writing was on the wall with Chardy failing to take a set off the Serb in 13 previous meetings.

“It felt great. I mean, I started the match really well, broke his serve and was pretty much a flawless match,” he said, adding that he felt “relaxed and comfortable”.

“Especially on my service games, I was very dominant. Just overall, I think every shot that I executed tonight was really good and on a high level. I'm very pleased with the way I opened up the AO.” Djokovic, chasing an 18th Slam crown to close in on the 20 held by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, has likened his relationship with the AO to “a love affair”.

And he clearly enjoyed himself, dishing up a Masterclass for the socially-distanced fans in the stadium.

“It feels great, so great to see people back in the stadium. I'm really glad to see a lot of people actually – this is the most I've seen on a tennis court in 12 months. Sometimes we take these things (crowds) for granted, but very very grateful to see you all,” he said.