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Djokovic Back With Bang at Kooyong Classic Exhibition

Djokovic Back With Bang at Kooyong Classic Exhibition
Djokovic Back With Bang at Kooyong Classic Exhibition

Novak Djokovic returned to competitive tennis with a bang on Wednesday, bringing a six-month spell on the sidelines to an end with a thumping 6-1 6-4 win over world number five Dominic Thiem at the Kooyong Classic exhibition tournament.

Six-times Australian Open champion Djokovic pulled out of a tournament in Abu Dhabi last week because of continuing problems with his right elbow and wore a sleeve over the joint during his round robin match against the Austrian, Reuters reported.

In a huge boost for Melbourne Park organizers, who have already lost Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori to injury, Djokovic showed no obvious discomfort as he broke Thiem three times to win the first set in just 21 minutes.

“It was a great start, it feels really good to be back on the court,” a beaming Djokovic said in an on-court interview after his first competitive set since Wimbledon last year.

The 30-year-old, who won the year’s first grand slam five times in six years until 2016, did not have it all his own way in a tighter second set and it went with serve to 5-4 when Djokovic broke again to wrap up the victory in 42 minutes.

Now ranked 14th in the world after his long absence, the 12-times grand slam singles champion will be one to avoid in Thursday’s draw for the Australian Open.

“The Australian Open is the big one, it’s the one I wanted to be ready for. It’s a great start,” the Serbian added.

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