And he did it in style, too, blasting 21 aces—including eight aces in nine service points in one stretch at the end of the first set. He had a 67% first serve percentage, winning 86% of those points, and fought off the only break point he faced the entire match.
He also converted two of his own three break point chances.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been competing,” he said afterwards. “I mean, seven months, I was going through difficult times with the team, and it was very challenging. But they were all supporting me. We went through a long period of time not competing and not knowing when we would be able to be back on the court again.
“I was just trying to enjoy every moment on the court here today.”
And on his serving display? “Yeah, I was serving quite well, finding good spots,” he said. “It’s definitely a nice feeling to have a good rhythm on the serve, and I’m so pleased with the performance.
“It was so much fun to see the fans again. They were amazing.”
