adminNovak Djokovic showed no signs of discomfort in his first match back following a wrist injury as he beat Radek Stepanek at the Italian Open.
Djokovic, 26, pulled out of last week’s Madrid Open to rest the injury and arrived in Rome saying he felt “100 percent”. The Serb, ranked second, dropped serve three times but still saw off Stepanek, the Czech world number 43, 6-3 7-5.
Australian Open champions Stanislas Wawrinka and Li Na were among those in action later yesterday.
Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Serena Williams are scheduled to play today, along with Britain’s Andy Murray, who takes on Spain’s Marcel Granollers.
Federer, 32, returns to competition just a week after his wife, Mirka, gave birth to twin sons.
Djokovic was watched by new head coach Boris Becker and Marian Vajda, with whom he has worked since 2006, and he made an uncertain start on a damp and windy afternoon at the Foro Italico,
The two-time Rome champion dropped serve in the opening game but, after recovering from 40-0 down to take the next after nine minutes, he eased through the first set.
A straightforward win looked on the cards when Djokovic broke early in the second, but he was pegged back to 4-4 and then failed to serve out the match at 5-4, eventually sealing victory at the second attempt after one hour and 37 minutes.
The six-time Grand Slam champion will play Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber or Tommy Robredo of Spain in the last 16. — BBC Sport
Online Reporter