Novak Djokovic opened his Australian Open defense on Monday with a 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Jeremy Chardy in the final game of the first day program at Rod Laver Arena.
Djokovic is looking for a record ninth title in Melbourne, where there are strong differences compared to previous tournaments during the first Grand Slam of the year.
Whether it is mandatory face masks for all fans, quarantine codes on almost every visible surface or simply the absence of lines on the court, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced all sorts of changes around the world.
The Melbourne Park site is divided into three “fan zones”, with hand disinfection stations more popular than the famous Aperol Spritz bar. The 15,000-seat Rod Laver Arena was about one-third full for Djokovic’s match, probably the largest crowd at a major tournament in a year (Wimbledon was off the calendar for 2020, while the US Open went without fans and less than 1,000 were admitted to the French Open). The state government allows up to 30,000 supporters a day, but no court can own more than 50%.
“It’s great to see you back in the stadium. It fills my heart,” Djokovic told the crowd in his interview to the court. “These are the most people I’ve seen on the tennis court in 12 months. I’m very grateful. There’s an ongoing love affair with me and this court, Rod Laver Arena. Let’s keep it going.”
Djokovic produced another Melbourne masters class, with 91 points for Chardy’s 52 and a staggering 86 per cent of the points when he scored his first serve. He ended a star-studded day 1 at midfield with Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams, Dominic Thiem and Simona Halep all easily able to progress ahead of Monday’s final.
“It’s obviously not a full crowd like I used to,” said Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam winner. “But at the same time, it’s definitely nice to have any kind of crowd playing in New York where there were no crowds.”
Just about every selected player advanced to the second round as Venus Williams, Alexander Zverev, Petra Kvitova, Stan Wawrinka, Bianca Andreescu and Nick Kyrgios all won their starts. The only selected American man, Taylor Fritz, no. 27, has also progressed. The 23-year-old Californian overtook Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6). This is the first time since 2015 that only one man from the US has been among the top 32 players in the field in Australia.
Most players who fell on Monday were 10th seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils, who lost in five sets to unannounced Emil Ruusuvuori, while former Aussie Open champion Angelique Kerber defeated the American 6-0 and 6-4. Bernarda Pera was expelled.
Kerber cites her fourteen days of hotel quarantine as the reason for her lack of form; she was one of 72 players who had to be isolated in their hotel rooms in Melbourne for two weeks after being reported on three charter flights to Melbourne. Players are not allowed to leave their rooms to practice.
“To be honest, I did not feel the rhythm I had before the two weeks,” Kerber said. “I really tried to stay positive, but you feel it, especially when you play the first game in a Grand Slam against an opponent who does not stay in the hard exclusion.”
Rafael Nadal and hometown favorite Ashleigh Barty lead Day 2’s first schedule 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 this report.