Novak Djokovic Feels Healthy After Round One Victory at Rakuten Japan Open 2019

Published 10/01/2019, 10:25 AM EDT

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World Number one tennis player, Novak Djokovic claimed his first victory since his US Open 2019 retirement due to his injured shoulder. However, in Tokyo, his shoulder is not causing any problems and the Serbian star is swinging his racquets comfortably.

“Shoulder is good. I have not felt anything in the previous days, including today, in the match,” Novak Djokovic said after his round one victory over Alexei Popyrin. “So I am very pleased to say that and to feel healthy.”

It was his first match ever at Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships and his first ATP 500 appearance in 2019. “I thought from really the beginning to the end, I played really well and on a consistent, high level and with good intensity,” Djokovic said.

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On Tuesday, Novak slammed seven aces and won 44 percent of his return points. He didn’t face a break point on serve throughout. “I had plenty of chances on his service games, also at the beginning of the first set. Played him for the first time, obviously. A young player with a big game from the back of the court, a big serve,” Novak Djokovic said.

“I managed to make that crucial break of serve in the first set at 4-4 that definitely helped me step it up even more. In the second set I ended up the match in a good fashion and I’m very pleased overall with the game,” he added.

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Up next in Tokyo, Djokovic will play the home favorite Go Soeda. The Japanese held a 0-12 win-loss record in Tokyo’s main draws before his victory today. He defeated the German Jan-Lennard Struff who has been having a phenomenal tennis season 2019.

This week, Novak Djokovic claimed the third spot on the list of all-time World Number one record as he steps into the 271st week as the top-ranked tennis player. He surpassed Ivan Lendl who was World Number one for 270 weeks. Djokovic is behind Roger Federer (310) and Pete Sampras (286).

By making an appearance in the Asian swing, the Serb would probably conclude the year by maintaining his top-ranking as the World Number two, Rafael Nadal has decided to skip Asian swing and will most likely show up for the Paris Masters 2019 in October. Nadal is just 640 points away from claiming the apex of the ATP roster. 

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Mahalakshmi Murali

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Mahalakshmi Murali joined EssentiallySports in 2018 as a tennis author and has gone on to pen more than 1800 engaging articles, probing into various aspects of the sport and its illustrious players. With her expertise on the sport, Mahalakshmi has interviewed stalwarts from the sport such as Serena WIlliams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou and Kevin Anderson’s physio, Carlos Costa. Equipped with her vast experience and a keen understanding of the sport, Mahalakshmi now co-heads the tennis department.
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