Novak Djokovic's absence from the Indian Wells Open has caused a stir in US politics, and on the tennis court it is hugely significant, too.

Sport was given a jolt three years ago when Indian Wells organisers cancelled the event on the eve of action getting under way, citing one local case of COVID-19.

At that point, on March 8, 2020, there had been more than 500 confirmed cases across the United States, with 21 deaths. Soon enough, events across the globe were being postponed or scrubbed.

Coronavirus travel restrictions prevented the unvaccinated Djokovic from taking part last year, and they will keep him away again this time, despite calls from two Florida senators for the jab requirement to be lifted by President Biden to allow the Serbian into the country.

With the world number one sidelined, Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz look likely challengers for the men's title. There have been surprise champions in recent times, with Cameron Norrie winning in 2021 and Taylor Fritz carrying off the title 12 months ago, so it would be hasty to rule out something similar.

In the women's event, there has not been a successful title defence since Martina Navratilova won in 1990 and 1991. That can partly be attributed to Serena and Venus Williams boycotting for over a decade at the peak of their powers after complaining of facing racial abuse, and in their absence no player stepped up to dominate.

Iga Swiatek triumphed in Indian Wells and Miami last season, racking up the 'Sunshine Double', and she starts as a strong favourite again, but defeat in the recent Dubai final to Barbora Krejcikova showed the 21-year-old rankings leader will not have everything her way this season.

First-round action gets under way on Wednesday, after two days of qualifying, and here Stats Perform, with Opta data, looks at what lies ahead.

After Norrie and Fritz, could there be another shock men's winner?

Djokovic has won a joint-record five Indian Wells titles, but he last featured in 2019, when he lost to Philipp Kohlschreiber in round three.

Rafael Nadal is also absent this time with a hip injury, and with Roger Federer retired this will be the second Indian Wells main draw since 2000, after 2021, to feature none of the ATP Big Three.

The Big Three was a Big Four at one point, though, and Andy Murray will be competing. It is one of the two Masters 1000 tournaments Murray has never won, along with Monte Carlo, having triumphed at the other seven. Murray has the most match wins at Indian Wells among all men competing this time, having 28 to his name, two more than John Isner who sits next on the list.

No ATP player has a better win percentage at Indian Wells than Djokovic (84.7 per cent), who has won 50 of his 59 matches, while the now-retired Federer has appeared in the most finals (nine), also winning five times, so there is no doubt the field is missing its long-time classiest acts.

Fritz last year became the first men's champion aged under 25 years old since Djokovic in 2011, and he was also the first American to take the men's title since Andre Agassi beat Pete Sampras in the 2001 final.

Medvedev has won three consecutive tournaments in the lead-up this year, tearing to titles in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai, but the Russian has a disappointing record at Indian Wells, having yet to reach the quarter-finals in five visits.

Just four players this century, including Alcaraz last year, have reached the semi-final stage before turning 20, with Nadal, Djokovic and Murray the other three. Alcaraz is still only 19 but a shade older than Boris Becker when he was a 19-year-old champion in 1987, the youngest men's winner.

Who else might come through? It feels like a free-for-all and Felix Auger-Aliassime will be hoping for a breakthrough tournament, with the Canadian being the only member of the current ATP top 10 to have never reached a final at ATP 1000 level. It has to happen sooner rather than later, surely.

Swiatek bids to lift curse of women's champions

Ever since Navratilova's two in a row, being a back-to-back champion at Indian Wells has been beyond all singles players on the WTA side.

Indeed, the only players to reach the final the year after their title run have been Lindsay Davenport (champion 1997, runner-up 1998) and Ana Ivanovic (champion 2008, runner-up 2009).

Nine women have won twice at Indian Wells, but none have managed three or more titles. The nine are: Steffi Graf, Mary Joe Fernandez, Navratilova, Daniela Hantuchova, Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka, Davenport and Maria Sharapova.

A Swiatek victory would make it a club of 10, but there is a club of one when it comes to players who have captured two titles without dropping a set in either trophy run. Sharapova is the only player to pull off that feat, with her 2006 and 2013 glory runs.

Among all women, Davenport has reached the most finals (six) and won the most matches (47), with Azarenka having the most wins among active WTA players (34).

Navratilova remains the oldest champion, having won aged 34 in 1991, while Martina Hingis and Serena Williams won as 17-year-olds in 1998 and 1999.

Shocks can happen: Bianca Andreescu took the title as a wildcard in 2019, while Jenny Byrne reached the final as a qualifier in 1989, the first year the women's event was staged.

If there is to be a teenage women's finalist this time, maybe it will be Coco Gauff. The American turns 19 midway through the tournament, on March 13, and has yet to reach a WTA 1000 final, although she got to the French Open title match last year, where Swiatek inflicted a heavy defeat.

Perhaps Aryna Sabalenka can reprise her Australian Open form, having won a first major in Melbourne. But Sabalenka's record in Indian Wells is a rough one, with the Belarusian yet to go past the fourth round.

Strap in for a thrill ride. They all want to stop Swiatek, but if any player can defy history it might just be the Pole.

Santiago's own Nicolas Jarry thrilled his hometown crowd with a stirring come-from-behind 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 triumph in Sunday's Chile Open final against Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

Jarry, 27, had not made it through to an ATP final since his first and only title win at the 2019 Swedish Open, but the wait was worth it as the Santiago crowd treated him like royalty.

There were no breaks of serve in the opening set, and only one opportunity, but Jarry found himself a set down for the second match in a row after falling short in the tiebreaker.

But just like he did in his semi-final comeback against Jaume Munar, Jarry dug in and quickly ran out to a 3-0 lead in the second set.

It was short-lived, as Etcheverry rallied back to tie things up and force another tiebreaker, when Jarry turned around a 4-2 deficit and rattled off three important points in a row to gain the ascendancy, successfully serving it out to take things to a decider.

After posting an accurate first serve percentage of at least 67 per cent in each of the first two sets, Etcheverry fell apart in the third, landing only 36 per cent of his first serves fair, and winning just half (11-of-22) of his total service points.

Meanwhile, when it mattered most, Jarry's serve became overwhelming, winning 94 per cent (16-of-17) of his service points to slam the door shut on his Argentine challenger.

Alex de Minaur secured his first ATP 500 title on Saturday after coming from behind to defeat Tommy Paul 3-6 6-4 6-1 in the Mexican Open final.

It was a tremendous week in Acapulco for the Australian, having eliminated world number 10 Holger Rune in the semi-final en route to his seventh title overall, with the first six all at the ATP 250 level.

Against Paul, De Minaur blew a pair of break points in the opening set, and then gave up the break in the very next game, allowing the American to serve things out safely to take the first frame.

But mistakes started to creep into Paul's game the longer the match went. After landing 75 per cent of his first serves fair in the opener and avoiding any double-faults, Paul's first serve percentage dropped to 46 in the second, and he committed a pair of doubles.

He committed another two double-faults in the decider to hand De Minaur the early break, and his play from the baseline also deteriorated, hitting just six winners to go with 14 unforced errors.

Known for his resilience, De Minaur had to save five break points to hold serve in the opening game of the third set, but he held his nerve, and churned out five consecutive games as Paul ran out of gas.

The 500 ranking points will see the Aussie climb to 18th in the world, with his career-best mark of 15th now within reach.

Meanwhile, the fairytale continued for Nicolas Jarry at the Chile Open, with the Santiago-born talent electrifying his home crowd with a 1-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-1 semi-final victory over Jaume Munar.

Jarry will get a chance for the second ATP title of his career, and the first since 2019, when he meets Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the final.

Etcheverry emerged victorious 7-5 6-3 in an all-Argentine showdown against third seed Sebastian Baez, earning his first final appearance at this level.

Alex De Minaur secured his first ATP 500 title on Saturday after coming from behind to defeat Tommy Paul 3-6 6-4 6-1 in the Mexican Open final.

It was a tremendous week in Acapulco for the Australian, having eliminated world number 10 Holger Rune in the semi-final en route to his seventh title overall, with the first six all at the ATP 250 level.

Against Paul, De Minaur blew a pair of break points in the opening set, and then gave up the break in the very next game, allowing the American to serve things out safely to take the first frame.

But mistakes started to creep into Paul's game the longer the match went. After landing 75 per cent of his first serves fair in the opener and avoiding any double-faults, Paul's first serve percentage dropped to 46 in the second, and he committed a pair of doubles.

He committed another two double-faults in the decider to hand De Minaur the early break, and his play from the baseline also deteriorated, hitting just six winners to go with 14 unforced errors.

Known for his resilience, De Minaur had to save five break points to hold serve in the opening game of the third set, but he held his nerve, and churned out five consecutive games as Paul ran out of gas.

The 500 ranking points will see the Aussie climb to 18th in the world, with his career-best mark of 15th now within reach.

Meanwhile, the fairytale continued for Nicolas Jarry at the Chile Open, with the Santiago-born talent electrifying his home crowd with a 1-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-1 semi-final victory over Jaume Munar.

Jarry will get a chance for the second ATP title of his career, and the first since 2019, when he meets Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the final.

Etcheverry emerged victorious 7-5 6-3 in an all-Argentine showdown against third seed Sebastian Baez, earning his first final appearance at this level.

Daniil Medvedev landed a third title in three weeks by swatting aside fellow Russian Andrey Rublev in the Dubai Tennis Championships final.

Former world number one Medvedev won 6-2 6-2 in an hour and eight minutes, adding to recent victories in Rotterdam and Doha as he extended his winning streak to 14 matches.

It gave him a tour-leading 19th match win of the season, edging ahead of Britain's Cameron Norrie, and means Medvedev will vault above Rublev to reach sixth in the new ATP rankings.

Appearing in his 30th tour-level final, Medvedev picked up his 18th career title and improved his head-to-head advantage to 5-2 against his compatriot.

He broke serve in the first and seventh games to sweep through the opening set, serving out to love to clinch it, and Rublev, who was the defending champion, offered no greater resistance in the second.

After beating Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, this was supremely clinical from Medvedev, setting him up for tilts at the Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami over the coming weeks.

"It's amazing," said Medvedev in an on-court interview, "because the start of the year was not perfect."

He lost in round three of the Australian Open to Sebastian Korda, but has put that January jolt firmly behind him.

"In tennis, when you don't win tournaments, you are always doubting, no matter what happens in practice," Medvedev said. "So I was doubting a lot and now it just feels better. I was really happy with these three weeks and I'm looking forward to the next ones.

"Sometimes you feel you're doing all the right shots and you're losing matches, and sometimes you kind of don't even think, just go it, go for some crazy stuff. A lot of shots this tournament were landing which were maybe not supposed to be, and when confidence is going sometimes that helps a lot."

Medvedev's win makes him the third player in the last two years to land three titles in as many weeks, the ATP said, after Casper Ruud in July 2021 and Felix Auger-Aliassime.in October 2022.

Novak Djokovic was waiting on Saturday to learn whether he would get last-minute clearance to enter the United States to play at Indian Wells and Miami, as American tennis chiefs threw support behind the world number one.

US senator Rick Scott claimed Djokovic has been refused permission by the US Department of Homeland Security for a vaccine waiver and urged president Joe Biden to intervene on behalf of the Serbian and "fix this NOW".

Scott was backed by fellow senator Marco Rubio, who wrote on Twitter: "@DjokerNole [Djokovic] shouldn’t be prohibited from playing in the @MiamiOpen because of unconstitutional vaccine mandates.

"@POTUS [Biden] should immediately grant Djokovic a waiver to the vaccine mandate for international travellers."

Djokovic has refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and that stance has cost him places in two grand slam tournaments, being deported before last year's Australian Open and then denied permission to compete at the US Open later in the season.

It has also meant he has had to miss regular tour events in the United States, which demands international travellers are fully vaccinated.

Scott and Rubio are both senators for Florida, and accordingly their focus is on the Miami Open, which runs from March 22 to April 2.

More pressingly for the 35-year-old Djokovic, the Indian Wells tournament begins in the coming week, with main draw singles matches getting under way on Wednesday.

A statement posted on the US Open Twitter page confirmed support for the 22-time grand slam winner.

It read: "Novak Djokovic is one [of] the greatest champions our sport has ever seen.

"The USTA and US Open are hopeful that Novak is successful in his petition to enter the country, and that the fans will be able to see him back in action at Indian Wells and Miami."

Seventh seed Tommy Paul claimed a spot in the Mexican Open final after proving too good for countryman Taylor Fritz in the longest match in Acapulco history on Friday.

Paul edged the third seed 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-2) in three hours and 29 minutes in their semi-final clash in Acapulco.

World number 23 Paul actually generated a match point late in the second set but spurned his initial chance, then waiting another two hours before winning in the third-set tie-break.

Paul let match point slip at 5-4 in the second set and had to rally back from 3-1 down in the third, but triumphed on his fourth match point.

"I couldn't be happier," Paul said. "The goal for this year was to get the ranking up and get more trophies. I only have one trophy on Tour between singles and doubles.

"You don't get trophies unless your in the final, and hopefully I can play another good match tomorrow and get the winner's trophy."

The 2023 Australian Open semi-finalist will take on Alex de Minaur in Saturday's decider, after he defeated Holger Rune 3-6 7-5 6-2 in two hours and 50 minutes.

In the Chile Open, local Nicolas Jarry progressed into the semi-finals with a 3-6 6-3 6-4 win over German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann. Jarry will face Spaniard Jaume Munar after he won 6-3 3-6 6-2 over Thiago Monteiro.

Third seed Sebastian Baez got past Laslo Djere 7-6 (7-4) 6-4, setting up a semi-final date with Tomas Martin Etcheverry after he won 6-1 6-2 over Dusan Lajovic.

Daniil Medvedev denied Novak Djokovic a 21st consecutive win to set up an all-Russian final against Andrey Rublev at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Djokovic had started 2023 by coming out on top in all 15 of his matches and winning the Australian Open, with his overall winning streak standing at 20 games.

But Medvedev ended the world number one's perfect start to the year with a superb display to take a 6-4 6-4 triumph on Friday.

The 27-year-old, who himself made it 13 consecutive wins, broke Djokovic twice on the way to taking the opening set.

Medvedev's high standard of play continued in the second, breaking Djokovic in the first game before holding in all five of his service games to secure a straight-sets victory.

"When you play against Novak you just have to play your best," Medvedev said after the win. "Kind of hope he doesn't play his best on the day because when he plays his best, well he has 22 grand slams, so even if you play your best, it is going to be tough, not sure you win.

"I managed to play a higher level than him today. In the second set I didn't face one break point, but there were so many 30-30 games. But I managed to stay composed and I am happy to be in the final tomorrow."

His win means he will face countryman Rublev in the final after the reigning champion kept his hopes of retaining the title alive with a 6-3 7-6 (11-9) success over Alexander Zverev.

Rublev had never previously won a match or set against Zverev in five previous meetings, but won three of the German's service games in the opener to go a set ahead.

The second seed was out-aced nine to two in the second set but managed to force a tie-break, going on to survive a set point before eventually securing the win on his sixth match point.

Rublev will look to join Roger Federer and Djokovic as only the third repeat champion at the tournament when he takes on Medvedev in Saturday's final.

The compatriots have met six times previously with Medvedev winning four of them, though Rublev has taken victory in their last two match-ups.

World number five Taylor Fritz showed why he is the highest seed still standing at the Mexican Open after a strong 6-3 6-4 win in Thursday's quarter-final.

Fritz, the third seed, faced sixth seed and world number 15 Frances Tiafoe, and did not allow a single break of serve en route to the 96-minute victory.

He will now face compatriot Tommy Paul in an all-American semi-final after the world number 23 prevailed 6-2 6-2 against Mackenzie McDonald.

The win was Paul's 10th from his past 12 matches, with one of those two losses coming against Novak Djokovic.

Australia's Alex De Minaur is through to the other semi-final after making light work of Japan's Taro Daniel 6-2 6-2 in a surprisingly one-sided contest, considering Daniel was coming off a victory over world number four Casper Ruud.

De Minaur will face Holger Rune after the 19-year-old capitalised on Matteo Berrettini not being at 100 per cent, jumping out to a perfect 6-0 1-0 start before the Italian retired hurt.

Meanwhile, Chile Open second seed Francisco Cerundolo missed out on a potential chance to face his younger brother after going down 6-3 3-6 6-3 against Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

He was one win away from doing his part to set up a quarter-final showdown with Juan Manuel Cerundolo, but the 21-year-old Argentine also did not hold up his end of the bargain, falling 6-2 2-6 7-6 (7-2) to Serbia's Dusan Lajovic.

Laslo Djere ensured it would be a good day for the Serbians with a 7-5 7-5 handling of Italy's Riccardo Bonadio, and he will face third seed Sebastian Baez in the quarter-final after he eliminated hometown hero Cristian Garin 6-4 6-3.

Novak Djokovic clinched a 20th win in a row and maintained his perfect year to date with victory against Hubert Hurkacz at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

The world number one cruised in the opening set, before Hurkacz put up more of a fight in the second.

Djokovic eventually prevailed to seal a 6-3 7-5 win, successfully seeing off his opponent despite Hurkacz valiantly throwing everything at him.

The 35-year-old Serbian has now won 15 consecutive matches in 2023, with his latest impressive display including just seven unforced errors, less than half Hurkacz's 15 as Djokovic's clinical edge proved decisive.

Fifteen successive victories is the fourth-best start to a season in Djokovic's career, though he remains some way off the 41-0 record he began 2011 with.

A semi-final clash against Daniil Medvedev awaits following the Russian's comfortable 6-3 6-2 victory against Borna Coric, which clocked in at one hour and 21 minutes.

Medvedev is also in the midst of an impressive winning streak, rattling off 12 consecutive successes since being eliminated by Sebastian Korda at the Australian Open in January.

Andrey Rublev booked his spot in the final four with a 6-3 7-6 (7-3) victory over Botic van de Zandschulp to maintain his title defence.

He will face seventh seed Alexander Zverev in the semi-final, the German having seen off Lorenzo Sonego 7-5 6-4.

Second seed Casper Ruud suffered a shock three-sets second-round defeat to Japan's Taro Daniel at the Mexican Open in Acapulco on Wednesday.

The 2022 US Open and French Open runner-up had struggled past Guido Andreozzi in the first round and followed up that up with a 7-5 2-6 7-6 (7-5) loss to Daniel.

The Japanese qualifier, ranked 125th in the world, won in just under three hours, winning the final three points of the deciding tie-break after Ruud led 5-4.

Ruud had more winners (38-32) but committed 30 unforced errors compared to Daniel's 12.

Taylor Fritz cruised into the last eight with a 6-4 6-4 win over Canada's Denis Shapovalov, setting up a quarter-final with sixth seed Francis Tiafoe, who eased past Feliciano Lopez 6-2 7-6 (8-6).

Fourth seed Holger Rune was too strong for Nuno Borges 6-0 6-2 inside an hour, while eighth seed Alex De Minaur crushed Jacopo Berrettini in just over an hour 6-1 6-0.

Top seed Lorenzo Musetti was a surprise second-round loser at the Chile Open with Jaume Munar triumphing 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 31 minutes.

Fourth seed Diego Schwartzman also bowed out, going down 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-2) to local Nicolas Jarry.

Jarry will face Yannick Hanfmann in the quarter-finals, while Munar will take on Thiago Monteiro.

Novak Djokovic swept through to the quarter-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships with ease on Wednesday, clinching a 6-2 6-3 win over Tallon Griekspoor.

The Serbian picked up his 19th consecutive victory midway through his record 378th week as world number one, settling his last-16 clash in straight sets.

Griekspoor, at a career-high position of 39th in the ATP rankings himself, proved no match for the 22-time grand slam winner, who dismantled him inside an hour and 22 minutes.

Djokovic had looked poised for a near-flawless performance, with a late lost service game at 5-1 up in the second set the only major blemish on his display.

"It's been a great evening for me," Djokovic said in his post-match interview. 

"Yesterday [against Tomas Machac], I really had to work hard to get a win. Tonight, right from the blocks, I think I was sharp. I definitely played better than I did last night.

"Maybe the last three or four games weren't the best to close the match, but I managed to find a good serve in the end.

"I'm very pleased with the performance and with the way I felt on the court, and hopefully things can go in the right direction for tomorrow."

Djokovic, who remains undefeated in 2023, is bidding to win the Dubai title for a sixth time, in what represents his first tournament since he won the Australian Open in January. 

Elsewhere, second and third seeds Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev joined Djokovic in easing their way into the last eight.

The former was made to work by Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina however, recovering for a 1-6 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-3) win, while the latter saw off Alexander Bublik 6-4 6-2.

Fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime crashed out with a surprise 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 loss to Italy's Lorenzo Sonego, who is rewarded with a last-eight clash against seventh seed Alexander Zverev.

Cristian Garin enjoyed the hometown advantage during Tuesday's opening round of the Chile Open, defeating former world number three Dominic Thiem 6-2 7-6 (7-2).

Slotted into the primetime fixture, Santiago resident Garin did not let the locals down, securing a break in the first game of the match to set the tone.

The other Chilean hopeful in the field, Nicolas Jarry, kept up his terrific form to also book his place in the second round.

After making the semi-final of last week's Rio Open – where he took a set off world number two Carlos Alcaraz – Jarry beat Peru's Juan Pablo Varillas 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 for an 11th victory from his past 14 matches.

Fifth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas was the highest ranked player in action, and he went down 7-5 4-6 7-5 against Brazil's Thiago Monteiro, while sixth seed Laslo Djere had a better outing in his 6-3 6-2 victory over Joao Sousa.

Tomas Martin Etcheverry will meet second seed Francisco Cerundolo in an all-Argentine second round matchup after advancing past Italy's Fabio Fognini 6-1 7-6 (7-1).

Meanwhile, in Acapulco at the Mexican Open it was the Berrettini brothers stealing the headlines on a day where top hopes Carlos Alcaraz and Cameron Norrie both withdrew due to injuries.

World number 24 Matteo Berrettini won the first seven games of his match against Alex Molcan before the Slovak decided to retire at 6-0 1-0, and his younger brother Jacopo Berrettini capitalised on his qualifier status with a 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 2-1 (retired) comeback against Oscar Otte.

Australian eighth seed Alex De Minaur was the top seed in action and he discarded of Mexico's own 17-year-old qualifier Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez 6-1 6-2, while rising 21-year-old American Brandon Nakashima overcame Germany's Daniel Altmaier 6-3 3-6 6-1.

Carlos Alcaraz confirmed his withdrawal from this week's Mexican Open due to a hamstring strain.

The reigning US Open champion, who missed the Australian Open with hamstring issues, was set to face Mackenzie McDonald in the opening round of the ATP 500 event in Acapulco.

Besides his injury frustrations, the teenager has enjoyed an impressive start to 2023, going 8-1 after triumphing in Buenos Aires and being runner-up to Cameron Norrie in Rio.

The latter event saw Alcaraz aggravate a hamstring problem, which has subsequently prevented him from building on that momentum this week. 

"Unfortunately I won't be able to play in Acapulco," the Spaniard posted on his social media channels. "I have a grade 1 strain in my right hamstring that will keep me out for several days, according to the tests we did this morning.

"I'm really sad I can't compete here, but now it's time to think about recovering and being ready as soon as possible. I hope to see you all soon!"

Norrie also confirmed he will not compete in Acapulco, the British number one citing fatigue as the reason for his absence.

"Unfortunately, I have to withdraw from Acapulco," he said in an Instagram story. "It's one of my favourite tournaments, so it's really tough for me to withdraw."

Novak Djokovic was made to work hard for his 18th consecutive victory, eventually putting away Tomas Machac in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Djokovic, who is celebrating a record 378th week as world number one, had to rely on a third-set tie-break to finally get over the line, defeating his Czech opponent 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-1) on Tuesday.

Machac is ranked 130th in the world, but caused Djokovic plenty of problems, earning 10 break points across the match, though he was only able to convert three.

Djokovic had a 4-1 lead in the deciding set before Machac fought back to force a tie-break, but the Australian Open champion ultimately had few problems at 6-6 as he won seven of the eight points played to clinch the win.

"Tomas certainly didn't play like the No. 130 in the world today," Djokovic said of his opponent. "He was giving me all kinds of trouble. But I guess when it mattered, I found another gear."

Djokovic, who is still undefeated in 2023, will face Tallon Griekspoor in the second round.

Elsewhere, fresh off two titles in as many weeks, third seed Daniil Medvedev eased past Matteo Arnaldi 6-4 6-2 to tee up a tie with Alexander Bublik next after his opponent Alexandar Lazarov retired hurt with Bublik leading 6-1 1-0.

Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Maxime Cressy 7-6 (7-4) 3-6 6-3, but sixth seed Karen Khachanov is out after he was beaten 7-5 6-2 by Botic van de Zandschulp.

The Dutchman will take on Mikael Ymer in the second round after his 6-2 6-3 win against Francesco Passaro, while eighth seed Borna Coric and Dan Evans played just four games before the latter retired hurt.

Christopher O'Connell set up a match against Alexander Zverev in the next round after he overcame Emil Ruusuvuori 7-5 6-4.