Novak Djokovic secured an encouraging win in his comeback from a right elbow injury as he beat Kei Nishikori 7-5 6-4 in the first round of the Madrid Open on Monday.
Djokovic sealed his best victory of the year by coming through his nightmare opening clash in style against world No 20 Nishikori.
The 12-time major champion could now face Kyle Edmund in round two if the British No 1 wins his own awkward opener on Tuesday against the talented Daniil Medvedev.
Djokovic's movement was better and he delivered in the crunch moments. There were also a handful of breathtaking retrievals the 30-year-old would have been proud of in his prime.
Four games both players would have liked to forget prompted an exchange of breaks in the middle of the opening set but Djokovic stepped up a gear at 5-4.
Nishikori resisted two rasping forehands but finally caved two games later as Djokovic clinched the set.
Djokovic seemingly defied physics by lashing one smash into the net early in the second but found his groove again at 5-4, breaking Nishikori to seal victory in just under two hours.
"The draw was such that we had to face in the first round, which is a bit strange," Djokovic said. "But it was a good opening match."
Milos Raonic defeated Nicolas Kicker 6-3 6-2 to set up a second-round encounter with third-seeded Grigor Dimitrov, while Richard Gasquet beat Tomas Berdych 6-4 6-2 to advance to play qualifier Dusan Lajovic, who got past Karen Khachanov 6-3 6-2.
In a first-round match between Frenchmen, Benoit Paire hit 39 winners to defeat 18th-ranked Lucas Pouille 6-2 6-3, advancing to face 19-year-old Denis Shapovalov, who got past Tennys Sandgren 6-1 6-4.
The Masters 1000 Series continues throughout this week with our coverage of the ATP Madrid Open on Sky Sports Arena. Check listings for starting times.
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