Below-par Djokovic, Williams dodge heat, shocks

Melbourne, Jan 13:
Novak Djokovic’s Boris Becker era got underway in low-key fashion as a clinical Serena Williams and Li Na showed their intent on an eventful first day at the Australian Open Monday.
As temperatures soared and big names fell by the wayside, Djokovic and Williams dodged the day-time heat to open their campaigns with wins on a balmy evening at Rod Laver Arena.
Williams put Australian teenager Ashleigh Barty to the sword but Djokovic, playing his first competitive match under new coach Becker, was surprisingly sloppy as he took nearly two hours to subdue Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko.
“It’s my first competitive match this season after a five to six week break and I was rusty in the first two sets,” admitted the Serb, seeking a fourth straight Melbourne title.
“I was struggling to find rhythm on my backhand side.”
Despite the relatively below-par 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 6-1 win, Djokovic was in no danger of joining Petra Kvitova, Venus Williams and Sara Errani among the casualties on day one.
The unseeded Venus Williams, wilting in the midday heat, lost to Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova over three sets while Italian seventh seed Errani went out to Julia Goerges. (Agencies)

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