Djokovic Brushes Past Karatsev In Rome Opener

Novak Djokovic’s bid to retain his World No. 1 status enjoyed a solid start on Tuesday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, as the five-time champion brushed past Aslan Karatsev, 6-3, 6-2 in the second round at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

The top seed must reach the semi-finals to prevent Daniil Medvedev from taking his spot at the top of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday, and the Serbian’s all-round performance against Karatsev represented an impressive start to that mission. Djokovic’s return game was at its relentless best as he broke the World No. 35’s serve four times on his way to a comfortable win on centre court.

Prior to the match Djokovic spoke of the physical improvements he felt during his run to the semi-finals at last week’s Mutua Madrid Open after a difficult start to 2022. Although the quickfire nature of his victory meant the 37-time Masters 1000 champion’s stamina was not severely tested against Karatsev, his outstanding defensive game appeared back to its imperious best.

Karatsev had beaten Djokovic in his hometown in the pair’s sole previous meeting on clay at the 2021 Serbia Open. The World No. 35 dropped his opening service game at the Foro Italico but broke back immediately, a demonstration of the threat his high-powered game can pose. The three-time ATP Tour titlist could not hold off Djokovic for long, however, as the Serbian broke again in the eighth game on his way to the opening set.

The second set was more straightforward for Djokovic, who surged to a 4-0 lead as Karatsev struggled to make any real impact against his accurate delivery. The Serbian had no issues serving out to complete victory in 91 minutes to move into a 2-1 ATP Head2Head series lead over Karatasev.

Djokovic is chasing a maiden title for 2022 in Rome, where his third-round opponent will be fellow Serbian Laslo Djere or former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka.