BASEL, Switzerland (AP) ― Novak Djokovic made his return after missing six weeks with a back injury and defeated Xavier Malisse 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 in the first round of the Swiss Indoors on Tuesday.
The top-ranked Serb overcame some difficult moments before improving his record this season to 65-3.
Djokovic arrived on the court for the first time since Sept. 18 wearing a fright mask resembling rock star Alice Cooper the night after Halloween. Dressed all in black, Djokovic broke his Belgian opponent’s first service game.
However, Malisse rallied against the U.S. Open champion in the second set and broke in the ninth game.
Djokovic then broke to a lead in the decider, and Malisse required a medical time out one game later after colliding with the umpire’s chair when racing to retrieve a drop shot.
However, Djokovic failed to serve out the match at 5-3 and wasted a match point chance in the next game.
The Serb then quickly closed out the last two games to complete a 2-hour, 13-minute win.
In Djokovic’s previous match, he retired in a Davis Cup singles match against Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina.
Valencia Open
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga got a scare from Spanish teenager Javier Marti before rallying to win their first-round match at the Valencia Open 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
The second-seeded Frenchman had won 11 of his last 13 matches coming in, including titles at Metz and Vienna. But Tsonga trailed early due to unforced errors and the smooth backhand of the 19-year-old wildcard, who was playing his first match against a top-10 player.
While Tsonga complained about the streaks of sunlight on the City of Arts and Sciences indoor court, he settled toward the close of the second set after Marti double-faulted, and served out the set on his way to victory.
