Novak Djokovic defeated #NextGen player Borna Coric 6-2, 6-4 at the Mutua Madrid Open on Wednesday to score his first win in the Spanish capital since 2012. Djokovic fell to Grigor Dimitrov in his opening match in 2013, and did not take part in the past two editions of the event. This week, he is bidding to become the first man to win 29 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events. The Serb is currently tied with Rafael Nadal with 28 titles.
“[It] was a satisfying performance against a young player that I had never played against, somebody who was in form,” Djokovic said. “I watched his match against Almagro, who won a tournament last week, and he beat him comfortably. That deserves respect.
“We know each other well. We’ve practice many times. I do see myself in him a little bit. We play a similar style. He's a great fighter. For his age, he’s quite mature and mentally tough. We have a very nice relationship. Today was the first official match we’ve played against each other, so I was happy with my performance. It was a fun match to be part of."
Djokovic was pushed by the 19-year-old Coric in the pair’s first meeting, but controlled the run of play from the baseline. The World No. 1 only dropped five points on serve in the first set and closed out the win in 78 minutes with the lone service break of the second set.
The 2011 Madrid champion improved to 17-6 at the event and will next face Roberto Bautista Agut, who edged fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 5-7, 7-5 in two hours and 27 minutes. Djokovic is undefeated against Bautista Agut in three FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings.
“[Bautista Agut]'s style is not really characteristic of Spanish tennis, which involves a lot of rotation and spin on the shots. [But] he always makes the opponent play an extra shot. He's very calm on the court, very composed. We’ve played each other few times. It's going to be a good one," said Djokovic of the flat-hitting Spaniard.
“[The top players] have very few bad days, and that's why they normally make it to the final rounds every week,” noted Bautista Agut, who pushed Djokovic to four sets at the 2015 US Open. “Tomorrow it’s going to be a difficult match. The circumstances suit me, so I feel comfortable. Let's see if I can face him and play a good match, and if possible, make it hard for him.
“I had fun playing in the fourth round in a Grand Slam on the center court against Djokovic. I would like to feel those sensations once again. I want to feel free and try to play my tennis and enjoy the next round. That's all.”
David Ferrer also moved into the third round by outlasting American qualifier Denis Kudla 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. In the final set, the ninth seed landed 77 per cent of his first serves and twice broke Kudla, who fell to 0-5 against Top 10 opponents. "It was an intense match, especially the third set," Ferrer said.
The 34 year old will play Tomas Berdych in the third round. The Valencia native leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 8-5. The Spaniard also won their most recent matchup, last year at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. "Tomas Berdych is a great player," Ferrer said. "I will have to play aggressively and have a good first-serve percentage. Whenever I miss my first serve with he's going to step in, and with this court it's very difficult to defend."
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