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- Djokovic thrashes Aussie Ebden in Olympic opener
Djokovic thrashes Aussie Ebden in Olympic opener
Novak Djokovic began his latest Olympic gold medal bid with a statement victory over Australia's Matthew Ebden at Roland-Garros.
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The 24-time Major winner took just 53 minutes to wrap up a comprehensive 6-0 6-1 rout on Court Philippe-Chatrier to set up a potential second-round clash with Spain star Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic won bronze on his Olympic debut in 2008, but missed out on a medal after finishing fourth in 2012 and 2020, while he was beaten in round one in Rio by eventual silver medallist Juan Martin del Potro eight years ago.
However, there was no danger of a repeat of the latter this time around. The Serb took just 24 minutes to wrap up a dominant first set, in which he bageled a helpless Ebden.
The Australian remained in positive spirits despite his ordeal. At one stage, he offered his racquet to the crowd, who gave him a wonderful reception when he won his first game of the contest at the 11th attempt.
Nevertheless, it only briefly delayed the inevitable, with Djokovic cruising to the finish line.
There was no messing around from Djokovic as he was done and dusted in less than an hour at Roland-Garros.
He converted six of his nine break-point opportunities, while winning 14 of 19 net points (74 per cent).
The identity of his second-round opponent is still to be decided, but we could well see a blockbuster clash with Nadal.