Novak Djokovic began the defence of his Australian Open title with a 25 straight victory on Monday.
Playing in Melbourne in front of his new coach Boris Becker, the 26-year-old beat 96th-ranked Slovakian Lukas Lacko 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 6-1 in the first round of the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.
The match was Djokovic’s first competitive game since hiring former world number one Becker as his head coach last month and the current number two claimed an easy win.
Elsewhere, Serena Williams needed less than an hour to defeat teenager Alshleigh Barty in the first round of the women’s singles.
The 32-year-old world number one beat the 17-year-old Australian 6-2, 6-1 in only 57 minutes.
Williams will next play Serbia’s Vesna Dolonc in the second round.
