Djokovic makes his return from injury with a hard-fought win

• Novak Djokovic made his return from injury with a hard-fought win over Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry at the Italian Open
• Djokovic, who is aiming for a seventh title in Rome, will face Grigor Dimitrov in the third round

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic made his return from injury with a hard-fought win over Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry at the Italian Open.

Djokovic, who turns 36 this month, booked his slot in the next round of the Italian Open with a 7-6(5) 6-2 at the ATP Masters 1000 event. The Spain international has never failed to reach the quarter-finals in Rome in his 16 appearances. He is a six-time winner in Rome.

Novak Djokovic. Photo/ Eurosport.

Speaking after his victory over Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Djokovic said he is still not at his best while acknowledging his opponent’s performance.

“Still not the desired level, still finding the shots and finding that groove on the court. It’s always a little bit tricky playing someone for the first time. He’s a clay-court specialist. He started better than I did, I started pretty slow, but I found my groove towards the end of the first. The second set was good, especially the last three or four games. I’m happy with the way I closed out the match.” Novak Djokovic said in his on-court interview, as per Eurosport.

Novak Djokovic, who is aiming for a seventh title in Rome, will face Grigor Dimitrov in the third round. Grigor beat Stan Wawrinka.

How The Game Unfolded 

Still nursing an injury on his right elbow, Novak Djokovic had to fight hard to win a surprising tight encounter against Tomas Etcheverry.

Etcheverry quickly broke Djokovic in his first game to show that he was going to be a tough opponent for the world No. 1. The 23-year-old Argentine raced out of the blocks to set up two break points, with Djokovic saving the first before surrendering the second.

Etcheverry would later clinch an important hold after saving a break point. However, Djokovic found his way back into the game to tie at 3-3. The top seed was given another scare as he went 5-3 down in the tie-break. He bounced back strongly with four points to take control and eventually claim the set.

Before the end of the first set, Novak Djokovic appeared unwell at 5-5 and spoke about it after the match.

“You act like you’re 100 per cent. Most of the time I guess you’re not, but you want to show your opponent that you’re out there trying to fight for every ball. I guess that’s what happened, it’s kind of cat-and-mouse always on clay.” Eurosport quotes the top seed.

Novak Djokovic will face Grigor Dimitrov in the next round of the Italian Open. Photo/ Sportsnet.

Novak Djokovic kicked up a level, breaking up serve in the first game of the second set. Once he took control of the set, he went on to win, overcoming a tricky start. Djokovic broke Etcheverry’s serve twice in the second set. The Serbia international, who is currently ranked world No. 1 in singles, will lose his position to Carlos Alcaraz after the end of the Italian Open.