The Serbian faced Lithuanian qualifier Ricardas Berankis in his first match of the resumed 2020 season, and prevailed in a 7-6(2) 6-4 encounter. Although Berankis obtained an early break to lead 4-3, the top seed battled back to take the match to a tiebreak. His mental strength was on display as he dominated the tiebreak to claim the first set after close to an hour.

Undeterred, Berankis broke early in the second set to race to a 2-0 lead. However, the Serbian broke back to even the score at 2-2. A third break of serve saw momentum swing the Lithuanian's way, but his higher-ranked foe proved to be too much. Djokovic reeled off four consecutive games to seal the match after an hour and 41 minutes.

Despite a slow start, Djokovic was able to overcome his opponent using his exceptional shot-placement and defense. The Serbian is yet to lose an ATP match in 2020, and is a favorite to win the title. He next faces American Tennys Sandgren, who defeated rising NextGen star Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-7(4) 6-2 7-6(5) in the second round.

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