Novak Djokovic defeated Chile’s Cristian Garin 6-1, 6-1 in 64 minutes on Wednesday to reach to the second round of the Astana Open.
The Serbian tennis icon dominated the Chilean juniors, taking advantage of five of eight break-points to win both sets. He won all three times against Garin.
Djokovic hasn’t lost a set since the Tel Aviv Open last week. On his first ATP Tour tour in Kazakhstan, he continued his best form.
“Playing in a new tournament, different conditions, the first match is never easy. Obviously you are looking to see how you are going to adapt, but I did it perfectly, really, played as well as I can.” Djokovic said.
“Coming into this tournament I feel confident, I feel excited, I feel motivated, so I think that helps as well to adjust quickly,” Djokovic added.
The win helps Djokovic move up in the race for tickets to the ATP Finals, with a minimum of 14th place next week.
Thanks to winning Wimbledon this season, Djokovic only needs to be in the top 20 of the race to have a ticket to the ATP Finals. He won the year-end event five times for the best eight, one less than Roger Federer’s record.
Djokovic is aiming for his second title on indoor hard courts in two straight weeks. He was previously the only player to win the three-court championship this season, when he was crowned in Tel Aviv.
His rival in the second round of the Astana Open is world number 34 Botic van de Zandschulp.
“Winning gives you confidence. I’m just excited to compete more. Considering the small amount of tournaments I played this year,” Djokovic said.
‘It’s a great success to play consistently well on the different surfaces. That’s always a goal to play well all around,” Djokovic added.
