Competing in his first singles match of the season Tuesday, the Serbian quickly found his range to overcome Frenchman Constant Lestienne 6-3, 6-2 and reach the second round at the Adelaide International 1.

“For the first match I can’t complain,” Djokovic said. “I played very well. I thought the first six games were very competitive and I have never faced him before. He is a counterpuncher, he doesn’t make too many mistakes. He has a tricky serve, hits his spots. But once I made that break at 3-2 in the first set I thought I stepped it up and played really good tennis for the rest of the match.”

With a packed crowd watching on, Djokovic moved through the gears, striking his watertight groundstrokes with consistent depth and accuracy to take early control.

The 35-year-old was also strong on return, winning 44 per cent (17/39) of points on his opponent’s first serve to triumph after 75 minutes in his first ATP Head2Head meeting against World No. 65 Lestienne.

The top seed is making his first appearance in Adelaide since 2007, when he won the trophy aged 19. Djokovic will continue his title quest at the ATP 250 event when he plays Quentin Halys.

Djokovic is competing on Australian soil for the first time since 2021. Later this month, he will compete at the Australian Open in Melbourne, where he has lifted the trophy a record nine times.