In Monday’s New York night session, Serbia’s Djokovic defeated France’s Alexandre Muller 6-0 6-2 6-3. He lost the Wimbledon final to Alcaraz.

As a result of not having been vaccinated against Covid-19, Djokovic was not allowed to play in the United States last year.

As he returns, he knows another major title will be a record-equaling 24th.

In a statement start, Djokovic blew past 84th-ranked Muller to match Margaret Court’s all-time record.

It’s been a while since I’ve been on the court, but I was excited to get back on it,” said Djokovic, who will spend a record-extending 390th week atop the ATP rankings.

Despite dropping the level of my serve in the second and third sets, I played great and enjoyed the level.”

In a 23-minute opening set, the three-time US Open champion dropped only eight points despite starting at 23:00 local time.

When Muller scored 2-1 in the second set, he raised both arms in celebration, but the 26-year-old was unable to stop Djokovic from advancing.

Djokovic won the final four games of the third set in one hour and 34 minutes, fending off Muller’s resistance. In the second round of Flushing Meadows, Djokovic will play Spain’s Bernabe Zapata Miralles, who won the Australian Open and French Open earlier this year. After the tournament, he will return to world number one.

On Tuesday, top seed Alcaraz faces Germany’s Dominik Koepfer, who won his first major at last year’s US Open in Djokovic’s absence.

Having developed a fascinating rivalry over the past 12 months, Alcaraz and Djokovic are joint favourites for the men’s singles title.

The rivalry was hot at the beginning of the season, but without both attending key tournaments, they had little chance of succeeding.

After three compelling matches in the semi-finals of the French Open, the Wimbledon final, and this month’s Cincinnati final, this match has ignited over the past few months.

Due to being the top two seeds, Alcaraz and Djokovic cannot meet at the US Open until the final.