Djokovic Dismisses Tomic In Miami Opener
Djokovic Dismisses Tomic In Miami Opener
Not too easy, but not too comfortable, either: It’s about the exact way you’d want to start your attempt for a record seventh Miami Open presented by Itau title.
No. 1 Novak Djokovic improved to 6-0 against Aussie Bernard Tomic on Friday night, dismissing the 26-year-old 7-6(2), 6-2 at Hard Rock Stadium.
“[Tomic] doesn’t give you much rhythm at all. Every ball is different. He can play equally well in the court and far behind the baseline, slows down the pace. He just has a very unconventional shot. Kind of hard to play someone that you can’t really predict what’s next,” Djokovic said. “Second set I played better. Overall it was a solid match.”
It was Djokovic’s first match at Hard Rock Stadium, where the tournament moved to this year after 32 years at Key Biscayne. “It’s a nice court. They’ve done a really good job. They have taken, I think, a very bold step forward in the right direction… For us being a part of the Miami Dolphins Stadium is a treat,” Djokovic said.
The Serbian is coming off a frustrating finish at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Djokovic lost in straight sets in the third round to German veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber. But he quickly put that loss behind him against Tomic, hitting 23 winners and breaking Tomic three times.
“I’ve had quite a lot of court time between [my] Indian Wells loss in singles and now, tonight’s match. I’ve worked on everything I need to work on. Now it’s just a matter of time to build the momentum and build that match play,” Djokovic said.
Djokovic currently shares the all-time Miami title record with American Andre Agassi. The Serbian will next face Argentine Federico Delbonis, who beat 32nd seed John Millman of Australia 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(2).