"I was excited to go out on the court, it has been a couple of years so to come in front of you guys is always a pleasure," Djokovic told the New York crowd. Djokovic broke Muller for a fourth time to open the second set and went 2-0 up before his opponent held serve for the first time, raising both hands in triumph as the crowd roared. But the cheers would be few and far between as Djokovic closed out the second with a wicked forehand. Alcaraz, who beat Djokovic in an epic Wimbledon final in July, opens his account on Tuesday against Germany's Dominik Koepfer. Next up for number two seed Djokovic is Spain's Bernabe Zapata Miralles, who was a straight sets winner over American Ethan Quinn.

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Persons: Serbia's Novak Djokovic, France’s Alexandre Muller, Mike Segar, Novak Djokovic, Frenchman Alexandre Muller, Margaret Court's, Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Arthur Ashe, Barack Obama, Michelle, Carlos Alcaraz, Muller, Frenchman, Alcaraz, Germany's Dominik Koepfer, Holger Rune, Roberto Carballes Baena, Spain's Bernabe Zapata Miralles, Ethan Quinn, Steve Keating, Peter Rutherford Organizations: France’s Alexandre Muller REUTERS, U.S, COVID, New, Cincinnati, U.S ., Djokovic's, Thomson Locations: Flushing Meadows , New York, United States, Flushing, New York, U.S, Danish