Rejuvenated Djokovic back with a bang

For Novak Djokovic, it was all about nothing. The 20-year-old Serbian star looked refreshed...

For Novak Djokovic, it was all about nothing. The 20-year-old Serbian star looked refreshed, sharp and hungry again as he beat Benjamin Becker 6-0, 6-2, 7-6 5 Tuesday in his first-round match at the Australian Open.

A drooping Djokovic complained at the Masters Cup in November that he was exhausted after a heavy schedule last year 8212; his 87 matches were more than any other men8217;s player 8212; and increased demands for his off-court time due to his rapid rise in the rankings.

So his brief off-season consisted of8230; nothing.

8220;I tried not to do anything. That8217;s a real rest,8221; said Djokovic, seeded third after coming in at No 16 last year. 8220;I needed really to take it easy.8221;

The results? 8220;Physically I8217;m ready, and mentally as well,8221; he said. 8220;I have a lot of motivation to do well this season, especially here in the Australian Open.8221;

Top-ranked Roger Federer showed no lasting effects from a nasty stomach bug, routing Diego Hartfield of Argentina 6-0, 6-3, 6-0 to open his quest of a third consecutive title here.

The illness forced Federer to pull out of last week8217;s exhibition tournament at Kooyong, interrupting his preparations as he seeks to pull within one of Pete Sampras8217; record of 14 Grand Slam championships.

On a perfect night for tennis, Federer was often perfect, running off the first nine games and the last seven. He finished off the match with his 11th ace. With 38 winners and just 14 unforced errors 8212; none in the third set 8212; he compiled twice as many points as Hartfield, 84-42.

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Venus Williams overcame a rash of mistakes to post her first victory here in three years, downing China8217;s Yan Zi 6-2, 7-5.

The tournament experienced its first crowd violence problem as Greece8217;s Konstantinos Economidis played last year8217;s losing finalist, seventh-seeded Fernando Gonzalez of Chile. Tournament officials said play was interrupted for five minutes while police sprayed three people with pepper spray. Five were evicted. Gonzalez won in straight sets.

No 10 David Nalbandian recovered from back spasms that forced him out of the Kooyong exhibition to oust Australian Robert Smeets. Former US Open and Wimbledon winner Lleyton Hewitt started his 12th bid to become the first homegrown winner of the national championship since 1976 by downing Steve Darcis of Belgium.

No 12 James Blake beat Nicolas Massu, and Marcos Baghdatis, who lost the 2006 final, defeated 2002 champion Thomas Johansson. Marat Safin, who lost the 2002 final but made amends with the title here in 2005, next faces Baghdatis after overcoming Latvia8217;s Ernests Gulbis.

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Fifth-ranked David Ferrer ousted Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France, but No 17 Ivan Ljubicic lost to Robin Haase of the Netherlands.

On the women8217;s side, No 6-seeded Anna Chakvetadze only played six points before Germany8217;s Andrea Petkovic retired with a leg injury. Also advancing were second-ranked Svetlana Kuznetsova, No 4 Ana Ivanovic, No 9 Daniela Hantuchova and No 14 Nadia Petrova. Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli, seeded 10th, lost to Sofia Arvidsson.