Six-time Miami Open champion Novak Djokovic made his long-awaited return to the tournament Friday and easily defeated Rinky Hijikata 6-0, 7-6 (1) to reach the third round.
It marked Djokovic’s first match at the Miami event since 2019, and it was his 410th ATP Masters 1000-level win, tying him with Rafael Nadal for most all time.
“I was playing really well, I mean on a very high level from the beginning, I knew exactly what I wanted to do tactically,” Djokovic, the No. 4 seed, said during his on-court interview. “Obviously it’s just the first match, but the way I felt on the court and the way I played is really encouraging.”
It was all one-way traffic in the opening set as Djokovic showcased his superior shotmaking from the baseline along with a lethal service game to make a perfect start.
He needed just 27 minutes to wrap up the opening set.
But Hijikata refused to back down, and his confidence grew during a tightly-contested second set where neither player could manage a break. Djokovic took over in the tiebreak, winning the final six points.
No. 7 seed Daniil Medvedev, the 2023 Miami champion who arrived this year fresh off a run to the Indian Wells semifinals, crashed out in his opening match, falling 6-2, 6-3 to Spain’s Jaume Munar.
Former Miami Open finalists Casper Ruud and Grigor Dimitrov both advanced, while Australia’s Nick Kyrgios — who this week earned his first win since October 2022 — fell 7-6 (3), 6-0 to Karen Khachanov.
Carlos Alcaraz, the No. 2 seed, kicks off the evening session against Belgium’s David Goffin.
Reuters contributed to this report.
