No. 1 Djokovic returns in dominant form
PARIS (AFP) – Novak Djokovic returned to the court on Wednesday, Nov. 1, cruising past Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 6-2 and strengthening his hold on top spot in the rankings after his two closest rivals both lost at the Paris Masters.
Second seed Carlos Alcaraz tumbled out against qualifier Roman Safiullin late the previous evening and earlier on Wednesday, Daniil Medvedev, seeded third, threw another Paris tantrum as he lost 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/2) to Grigor Dimitrov.
Djokovic, playing in his first individual tournament since winning the US Open in September, broke Etcheverry, an Argentine ranked 31 in the world, in the eighth game of the first set and twice in the second, to win in one hour and 24 minutes.
"At the start of the match, I had a little trouble finding my rhythm, my tempo, but by the end of the second set, it was really good," said Djokovic, who has won at Bercy a record six times.
After beating Medvedev in the final in New York on September 10, the 36-year-old Djokovic dashed back from the US Open to help Serbia into the Davis Cup quarterfinals on September 15.
He then skipped the ATP Tour's return to China, instead spending time with his family. Djokovic will next play Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor.
Earlier Medvedev threatened to stop in the second set if the crowd kept whistling at him, although he later said he was determined to win over the Paris fans. Medvedev has had a series of runins with Parisian fans. In May, he gestured for the crowd to shut up at Roland Garros and has complained on previous visits to Bercy. After Dimitrov took the first set on Wednesday, Medvedev broke in the sixth game of the second set and led 5-2. When the Bulgarian broke to 5-5, Medvedev threw his racket which brought whistles from the crowd. That further upset the Russian.