Novak Djokovic's fans should have little to worry about when he takes on Santiago Giraldo in the second round of the Australian Open.
Tuesday may have been one of the hottest days of the Australian summer so far but Djokovic barely broke sweat as he destroyed Italy's Paolo Lorenzi 6-2, 6-0, 6-0 in round one. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer may have looked impressive but Djokovic was on another level as he won 17 games in a row.
“I just have more confidence that I’m playing on right now,” Djokovic said. “I just believe that I can win, especially against the biggest rivals in the major events. I feel much more complete as a player and as a person now. Mentally I’ve gained a lot of experience playing at the top level in the last couple of years.”
Things were so comfortable for Djokovic he was even able to experiment with his net game, getting some valuable practise for later in the event. The top seed is now a keen student of the game too and he'll have a plan in place for tackling Columbian left-hander Giraldo.
"I try to look always at the next opponent, but I definitely look all the tennis matches, as I think all the players, once we’re in the tournaments, when we rest back at the hotel room, when we have time, we turn on the TV and watch all the top guys, men’s and women’s matches," he said. “This is our life, and it’s our job as well.”
Giraldo may have eased past qualifier Matteo Viola 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 on Tuesday but he'll have to play out of his skin to test the world number one. Djokovic seems well on track to joining Federer, Andre Agassi and Mats Wilander among the three-time winners of this event.
