MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic propped his left boot on a pitchside sign so he could stretch his pesky Achilles tendon. He grimaced while tensing after one point, hopping onto his right leg to unload his left one at a time. He took a medical time-out while a coach picked him up again in set number two – which Djokovic would later drop.
As if he needed another distraction, Djokovic was nervous enough from an heckling call that he asked chair umpire Fergus Murphy to remove the spectator from Rod Laver Arena, saying: “The guy’s insanely drunk… He was provocative. He just wants to get inside my head.”
As Djokovic then summed it up: “It was a lot going on tonight.”
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Here’s what didn’t happen Thursday night at the Australian Open: Djokovic wasn’t entirely lost, and most importantly, he didn’t lose in the second round, which happened to both No. 1 seed Rafael Nadal and No. 2 seed Kasper Ruud.
Looking for a 10th trophy at Melbourne Park to add to his own record and a 22nd Grand Slam title overall to match Nadal’s, Djokovic put it all aside to defeat 191st French qualifier Enzo Couacaud by 6 : 1, 6: 7 (5). 6-2, 6-0. It was Djokovic’s 23rd consecutive Australian Open win, a streak cut short a year ago when he was unable to compete in the tournament due to not being vaccinated against COVID-19.
This didn’t pan out into an intriguing contest as fourth-placed Djokovic did everything he did while Couacaud competed on a career grade of 2-5. And whatever Couacaud’s chances up front seemed to eclipse just four games when he twisted his right ankle and required a visit from a coach.
But Couacaud overcame that and played freely, summoning up some great shots.
“You just have to deal with it. One of those circumstances and situations where things might not go as perfectly as they want,” said Djokovic. “But that’s sports.”
He talked about how his opponent was playing, but the mood captured the night well.
There was a bit of Djokovic’s usual interaction with the crowd as he got his game in order. After the break to go 2-0 up in the final set, he jogged around his side of the pitch as if to show his opponent and everyone else how good he felt and how well he played.
In another moment, he basked in a roar of approval, pointing his index finger to his right ear and begging for more.
Couacaud also managed to have fun as he briefly made things a little more interesting, celebrating his claim to the second set by pointing down the pitch as if to say, “This is my house!”
Which of course it isn’t. The court belongs to Djokovic, who will play No. 27 Grigor Dimitrov next, and he knows that two high-level contenders are no longer possible obstacles.