Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Novak Djokovic made short work of his first-round clash against Alexandre Muller on Monday at the US Open, where the second seed raced to a 95-minute victory in his first match at the hard-court major since 2021. On the surface it appeared a routine opening triumph for the 23-time Grand Slam champion, but Djokovic later acknowledged there was something different about his 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 win on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“I was excited to go out on the court,” said the 36-year-old in his post-match press conference. “I didn’t care if I started after midnight because I was looking forward to this moment for few years, to be out on the biggest stadium in our sport, the loudest stadium in our sport, playing a night session.

“It was a great joy to be stepping out on the court. I think the performance explains how I felt tonight, particularly in the first two sets. It was kind of lights-out tennis really, almost flawless, a perfect first set.”

Djokovic fired 32 winners and converted eight of 13 break points he earned in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with the World No. 84 Muller. It was a continuation of the fine form the Serbian showed in Cincinnati, where he lifted his record-extending 39th ATP Masters 1000 crown eight days ago at the Western & Southern Open.

“I probably had the answer for every shot he had in his book,” said Djokovic. “Overall, I’m very, very pleased with the way I feel, with the way I’m playing. Hopefully I can maintain that level. It’s just the beginning of the tournament, but I already like the level of tennis.”

Not messing around 😎@usopen | #USOpen | @DjokerNole pic.twitter.com/juK16AKGjV

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 29, 2023

Prior to Monday, Djokovic’s most recent outing on Arthur Ashe Stadium was the 2021 championship match against Daniil Medvedev, who denied the Serbian a historic calendar-year Grand Slam with a straight-sets victory. However, the disappointment of that loss has done little to temper Djokovic’s affection for a court on which he has appeared in a record nine US Open men’s singles finals and lifted the trophy three times.

“It is the biggest stadium we have in tennis. This court has seen so much history and so many battles,” said Djokovic. “Everyone knows in tennis that night sessions at Arthur Ashe definitely are the most exciting, fun, loud, energetic sessions you can have out there on the tennis world.

“It’s the size. It’s the echo because of the roof construction. It’s everything combined. Just people, New Yorkers, love their tennis. They don’t care if they stay up very late, post-midnight, because they get excited.

“I love it. It’s great because every Grand Slam has its own charm in a way. Comparing to, for example, Wimbledon, it’s a complete contrast. In Wimbledon it’s different than here. Here is all about entertainment, fun, good energy, good vibes.

“If you can feed on that, you’ll have a lot of fun.”

Novak Djokovic guaranteed his return to World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings Monday night with a commanding opening-round win over Frenchman Alexandre Muller at the US Open.

Playing his first match at Flushing Meadows since Daniil Medvedev denied him a calendar-year Grand Slam in the 2021 final, Djokovic punished the World No. 84 with nine early forehand winners as he took the first eight games of the contest and soon after the match 6-0, 6-2, 6-3. 

“The first set I started tremendously well off the box,” said Djokovic in his on-court interview. “We started quite late. Obviously, there was a ceremony between matches and I knew that we might have a late start, but nevertheless I was excited to come out on the court. It’s been a couple of years, and to come out here in front of you guys is always an honour and a pleasure here on Arthur Ashe.”

What a way to kick things off in NYC 🤩@DjokerNole knocks out Muller 6-0 6-2 6-3.@usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/dsiL0X3yRd

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 29, 2023

Watched by former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, Djokovic dominated from start to finish, clipping 32 winners to Muller’s 11 and excelling at net, winning 20 of 23 approaches.  He also dropped just five points on first serve.  

“I think I could have served [better] in the second and third. I dropped the level of my serve and had to work for my points a bit more, but nevertheless I think I played great from the beginning to the end,” said Djokovic. “Some hiccups, but I liked my level and hopefully I can maintain it in the next round as well.”

The win made certain the Serbian’s displacement of defending US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz as World No. 1 on 11 September, when Djokovic will begin a record-extending 390th week at the top.

Djokovic, 36, is also chasing a record-extending 10th US Open final appearance (3-6 record). Having won the Australian Open and Roland Garros, and reached the Wimbledon final, the 23-time major champion is looking to reach the final of all four Slams in the same season for the third time in his career (2021 and 2015).

In the second round Djokovic will face World No. 76 Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles, who defeated American NCAA champion Ethan Quinn 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.

“He’s a clay-court specialist but over the years all these guys learn how to play on the hard courts,” said Djokovic of Zapata Miralles. “There’s no easy opponent, obviously I respect everyone. I don’t underestimate anybody and try to give my best. Hopefully I can get another win in a few days.”

It was a brutal US Open debut for Muller, who raised his arms in light-hearted celebration when he finally got on the board in the ninth game of the match. Muller had just two tour-level hard-court wins on the season coming into the tournament.

Stefanos Tsitsipas suffered a catastrophe 12 months ago when he took to Louis Armstrong stadium for his opening match of the US Open.

Then World No. 94 Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan swung for the fences and took the racquet out of the Greek’s hand, winning the first 11 games of the match and ultimately prevailing in four sets after clubbing 41 winners.

The seventh seed could be forgiven for feeling a little trepidation as he walked back to Armstrong Monday night to face dangerous Canadian Milos Raonic, who owned a 2-0 lead in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series and who dropped 49 aces in two matches at Wimbledon this year.

Coached solely on the night by Mark Philippoussis, Tsitsipas was also looking for a confidence booster, having won just one match in Toronto and Cincinnati on the heels of capturing his first title of the year in Los Cabos at the beginning of this month.

The former Nitto ATP Finals champion dropped just five games in the opening two sets and responded with back-to-back breaks in the third after Raonic opened a 4-2 lead to close out a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 win. The 25-year-old two-time major finalist limited Raonic to just eight aces and played a tidy match himself, hitting 25 winners to 20 unforced errors, while his opponent conceded 48 unforced errors and five service breaks.

“It was fun to play high quality tennis against a champion like Milos,” Tsitsipas said on court after the match. “He’s dealing with a comeback and I knew he had nothing to lose. I had to bring my A game from the very first point. I made it physical and it worked.”

Tsitsipas, who has twice reached the third round at Flushing Meadows but never reached the second week, next faces the winner of Dominic Stricker and Alexei Popyrin.

Felix Auger-Aliassime, the 15th-seeded Canadian, slipped into negative territory (14-15) on the year after falling 7-6(5), 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 to American Mackenzie McDonald in three hours, 26 minutes.  Felix, who won 60 matches last year, has dropped 11of his past 14 matches.

McDonald, who reached the Toronto quarter-finals and the third round in Cincinnati, moved past his 26-match wins total for the 2022 season with Monday’s victory and moved to a career-high No. 37 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. He next meets the winner of Hugo Dellien and Borna Gojo.

Top 10 stars Casper Ruud and Holger Rune were both involved in four-set matches Monday at the US Open but only Ruud survived his first-round test at the hard-court major in New York.

The 2022 finalist Ruud held off home qualifier Emilio Nava 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) on Court 17 at Flushing Meadows for his 200th tour-level victory. The fifth seed overcame an uber-aggressive performance from the 21-year-old Nava, who struck a remarkable 72 winners to Ruud’s 27 but was unable to find the consistency required to pull off an upset.

Aware of his opponent’s desire to dictate, Ruud stayed cool and offered up just 21 unforced errors to Nava’s 49 across the four sets. That approach was particularly key in the tie-breaks he won in the first and fourth sets, as Ruud’s greater experience told under pressure.

Ruud is now 10-5 at the US Open, where he fell to Carlos Alcaraz in last year’s championship match. His next opponent as he seeks another deep run at Flushing Meadows will be Zhang Zhizhen, after the Chinese star defied a J.J. Wolf comeback for a 7-5, 7-5, 6-7(5), 4-6, 6-3 first-round win.

Roberto Carballes Baena earlier engineered the first major upset of the fortnight in New York as the World No. 63 defeated fourth seed Rune 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Carballes Baena broke Rune seven times on Court 5 as he registered his first Top 10 win at the 14th attempt in two hours, 42 minutes. He stayed rock-solid against a visibly frustrated Rune, who has now lost four straight tour-level matches stretching back to his quarter-final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon.

A STUNNING WIN 👏

The moment @Robertocarba93 secured the first Top 10 win of his career!

🎥 @usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/NEK6GiRocf

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 28, 2023

The 30-year-old Carballes Baena made just 21 unforced errors to Rune’s 43, frugality which kept the Dane under constant pressure throughout the pair’s first meeting since Wimbledon. Rune was a straight-sets winner at SW19 but could not raise his level consistently enough in Monday’s clash in New York to prevent Carballes Baena taking a 2-1 Lexus ATP Head2Head series lead against the World No. 4.

Now into the second round for the fifth time in six main-draw appearances at Flushing Meadows, Carballes Baena next faces Jiri Lehecka or Aslan Karatsev as he looks to reach the third round for the first time.

Frances Tiafoe made a fast start at the US Open Monday, where he moved past American wild card Learner Tien 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 to reach the second round.

The 10th seed Tiafoe enjoyed a standout run to the semi-finals on home soil in New York last year, defeating then-Top 10 stars Rafael Nadal and Andrey Rublev before falling to champion Carlos Alcaraz. Competing on Arthur Ashe Stadium again, Tiafoe quickly found his range to entertain the American fans.

“I really love this court, I really enjoy playing here. It hasn’t been the best summer for me, but I love playing on this court,” said Tiafoe, who went 1-2 at ATP Masters 1000 events in Toronto and Cincinnati in August. “I just want to come and do really well. The last time I played here was one of the toughest losses of my life. To come back out here and play as well as I did and take care of business is nice.

“I am leaving everything I’ve got. If I die out here, I die out here. I have to put it all on the line and hopefully it is good enough.”

The 25-year-old broke lefty Tien’s serve seven times, struck 37 winners and showed good touch around the net to advance after two hours and nine minutes.

Tiafoe, who is competing at a career-high No. 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, will next play Austrian Sebastian Ofner after the World No. 58 beat Nuno Borges 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-4.

The three-time tour-level titlist Tiafoe has now won his past 17 matches against left handers, dating back to 2021, when he fell against Liam Broady in Eastbourne.

Tiafoe’s countryman Ben Shelton also advanced. The 20-year-old, currently fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Jeddah, defeated Pedro Cachin 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to set a second-round meeting against former champion Dominic Thiem.

Taylor Fritz ensured both Top 10 American stars advanced to the second round in New York. The World No. 9 Fritz moved past countryman Steve Johnson 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 in 81 minutes.

Fritz suffered a shock first-round defeat against Brandon Holt at the US Open last year, but produced a dominant display against Johnson to ensure he would not fall at the first hurdle again. The 25-year-old won 100 per cent (23/23) of his first-serve points and fired 10 aces to earn his 34th tour-level win of the year. He will next play Miomir Kecmanovic or Juan Pablo Varillas.

Fritz is chasing his maiden major this fortnight. The biggest trophy he has clinched on Tour was at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells in 2022.

American 14th seed Tommy Paul, who is up to a career-high No. 11 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, needed four sets to defeat Italian qualifier Stefano Travaglia 6-2, 6-3, 4-6. 6-1. He next meets Wimbledon quarter-finalist Roman Safiullin.

Sebastian Korda, the 31st seeded American, lost a tough five-setter to Marton Fucsovics 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-4 one week after taking out the Hungarian at the Winston-Salem Open. Korda came into the US Open with an ankle injury, which forced him to withdraw from his scheduled semi-final in Winston-Salem without hitting a ball.

World No. 45 American J.J. Wolf also bowed out in five sets, falling 7-5, 7-5, 6-7(5), 4-6, 6-3 to China’s Zhang Zhizhen.

#NextGen ATP American Ben Shelton rallied from a set down to defeat Argentine Pedro Cachin 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.