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Melbourne - Defending champion Novak Djokovic wore down Lukas Lacko to win his first competitive match under new coach Boris Becker at the Australian Open on Monday.
The Serbian world number two, bidding to win a fourth consecutive Australian title and fifth overall, had to work hard to subdue the 96th-ranked Slovak.
But after taking the second set in a tiebreaker, he swept to victory 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 6-1 in one hour 50 minute. He will face Argentina's Leonardo Mayer in the next round.
With tennis great Becker courtside, Djokovic looked far from his best and made 30 unforced errors. But he interspersed them with some glorious stretched volleys for winners.
"It's my first competitive match this season after a five to six week break and I was rusty in the first two sets," Djokovic said.
"I was struggling to find rhythm on my backhand side."
Becker has been brought in to improve Djokovic's game after a disappointing 2013 by his own high standards and with his regular coach, Marian Vajda, keen for more family time.
Djokovic won the Australian Open but lost to Rafael Nadal in the US Open final, then again in the semi-finals of the French Open, as well as bowing to Andy Murray in the Wimbledon final.
Six-time Grand Slam champion Becker will spend around 20 weeks a year on the ATP Tour with Djokovic.
Djokovic lost his service but broke the Slovak twice to take the opening set in 30 minutes.
The defending champion's backhand misfired in the opening set and he made seven errors on that flank.
Lacko fought hard in the second set and conceded his first break point in the ninth game before the set went to a tiebreaker.
But Djokovic comfortably wrapped up the tiebreaker 7/2 to go two sets up after almost 90 minutes.
He skated through the final set in just 23 minutes as Lacko's level dropped and the six-time Grand Slam champion stepped up a gear.
Results from the Australian Open on Monday:
Men's singles
First round
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI x8) bt Andrey Golubev (KAZ) 6-4, 4-1 ret
Ivan Dodig (CRO x32) bt Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 7-6 (10/8), 6-3, 7-6 (7/4)
Mikhail Youzhny (RUS x14) bt Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) 6-1, 6-4, 6-2
Sam Querrey (USA) bt Santiago Giraldo (COL) 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7/3)
Damir Dzumhur (BIH) bt Jan Hajek (CZE) 6-4, 6-2, 6-1
Adrian Mannarino (FRA) bt Steve Johnson (USA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-0, 5-7, 6-4
Richard Gasquet (FRA x9) bt David Guez (FRA) 7-5, 6-4, 6-1
Tomas Berdych (CZE x7) bt Aleksandr Nedovyesov (KAZ) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
Dominic Thiem (AUT) bt Joao Sousa (POR) 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3)
David Ferrer (ESP x3) bt Alejandro Gonzalez (COL) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) bt Dudi Sela (ISR) 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-3
Florian Mayer (GER) bt Denis Kudla (USA) 6-4, 6-2, 6-4
Alejandro Falla (COL) bt Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) 6-7 (2/7), 6-2, 6-2, 6-3
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) bt Tommy Haas (GER x12) 7-5, 5-2 ret
Julien Benneteau (FRA) bt Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP) 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
Kevin Anderson (RSA x19) bt Jiri Vesely (CZE) 2-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
Matthew Ebden (AUS) bt Nicolas Mahut (FRA) 6-3, 7-5, 4-6, 0-6, 6-3
Jeremy Chardy (FRA x29) bt Jesse Huta Galung (NED) 6-2, 6-4, 6-4
Fabio Fognini (ITA x15) bt Alex Bogomolov Jr. (RUS) 6-3, 6-2 ret
Ernests Gulbis (LAT x23) bt Juan Monaco (ARG) 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2
Leonardo Mayer (ARG) bt Albert Montanes (ESP) 6-1, 6-3, 6-1
Kenny De Schepper (FRA) bt Wu Di (CHN) 7-5, 7-5, 7-6 (7/2)
Jerzy Janowicz (POL x20) bt Jordan Thompson (AUS) 1-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1
Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) bt Carlos Berlocq (ARG) 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (9/11), 6-2
Tommy Robredo (ESP x17) bt Lukas Rosol (CZE) 6-1, 6-7 (7/9), 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 8-6
Pablo Andujar (ESP) bt Albert Ramos (ESP) 6-4, 6-2, 6-4
Vasek Pospisil (CAN x28) bt Samuel Groth (AUS) 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
Dmitry Tursunov (RUS x30) bt Michael Russell (USA) 6-2, 6-2, 6-3
Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) bt Ricardas Berankis (LTU) 7-5, 7-5, 6-2
Novak Djokovic (SRB x2) bt Lukas Lacko (SVK) 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 6-1
Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) bt Lukasz Kubot (POL) 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Denis Istomin (UZB) bt Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) 6-4, 7-5, 6-4
Women's singles
First round
Kirsten Flipkens (BEL x18) bt Laura Robson (GBR) 6-3, 6-0
Angelique Kerber (GER x9) bt Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS) 6-3, 0-6, 6-2
Belinda Bencic (SUI) bt Kimiko Date-Krumm (JPN) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS) bt Caroline Garcia (FRA) 6-2, 7-6 (9/7)
Monica Puig (PUR) bt Anna Tatishvili (GEO) 6-2, 6-4
Irina Falconi (USA) bt Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) 6-3, 6-1
Karolina Pliskova (CZE) bt Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 6-0, 6-1
Daniela Hantuchova (SVK x31) bt Heather Watson (GBR) 7-5, 3-6, 6-3
Ekaterina Makarova (RUS x22) bt Venus Williams (USA) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
Casey Dellacqua (AUS) bt Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 6-2, 6-2
Li Na (CHN x4) bt Ana Konjuh (CRO) 6-2, 6-0
Eugenie Bouchard (CAN x30) bt Hao Chen Tang (CHN) 7-5, 6-1
Ana Ivanovic (SRB x14) bt Kiki Bertens (NED) 6-4, 6-4
Annika Beck (GER) bt Petra Martic (CRO) 6-0, 6-0
Virginie Razzano (FRA) bt Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/3)
Lucie Hradecka (CZE) bt Donna Vekic (CRO) 6-3, 6-1
Flavia Pennetta (ITA x28) bt Alexandra Cadantu (ROU) 6-0, 6-2
Vesna Dolonc (SRB) bt Lara Arruabarrena (ESP) 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
Lucie Safarova (CZE x26) bt Julia Glushko (ISR) 7-5, 3-6, 6-1
Zheng Jie (CHN) bt Roberta Vinci (ITA x12) 6-4, 6-3
Mona Barthel (GER) bt Zhang Shuai (CHN) 7-6 (7/4), 6-3
Monica Niculescu (ROU) bt Shahar Peer (ISR) 6-4, 6-1
Julia Goerges (GER) bt Sara Errani (ITA x7) 6-3, 6-2
Madison Keys (USA) bt Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (AUT) 6-2, 6-7 (8/10), 9-7
Samantha Stosur (AUS x17) bt Klara Zakopalova (CZE) 6-3, 6-4
Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) bt Silvia Soler-Espinosa (ESP) 6-3, 6-2
Sabine Lisicki (GER x15) bt Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) 6-2, 6-1
Luksika Kumkhum (THA) bt Petra Kvitova (CZE x6) 6-2, 1-6, 6-4
Alison Riske (USA) bt Elena Vesnina (RUS x23) 6-2, 6-2
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) bt Dinah Pfizenmaier (GER) 7-6 (7/5), 6-3
Lauren Davis (USA) bt Sachia Vickery (USA) 6-3, 6-3
Serena Williams (USA x1) bt Ashleigh Barty (AUS) 6-2, 6-1
