Djokovic downs Millman to win his first Japan Open title

World number one Novak Djokovic won his first Japan Open title and the 76th of his career with a dominant 6-3 6-2 win over Australian John Millman in the final in Tokyo on Sunday.

It was a triumphant return to the tour for Djokovic, who had withdrawn from the U.S. Open in the fourth round due to a shoulder injury, and it was the 10th time he had won a title on his tournament debut.

The top seeded Serb needed only 69 minutes to dispatch Millman — who was playing in his maiden ATP 500 final — and the 32-year-old won the title without dropping a set in the tournament.

“It was a fantastic week in every sense,” Djokovic said. “I felt great on the court… (I) didn’t drop a set, played really well, served great. Just overall, a great experience.

“We had a tough battle in the first set. (In) the second set I stepped it up, started swinging through the ball even better than the first set. Overall, it was a great tournament for him.”

“>Djokovic won a whopping 87% of his first service points and fired six aces, never giving Millman a whiff of a break point. He also broke the Australian ranked 79 places below him three times in the match.

“Millman was simply no match for Djokovic, who fired 23 winners and also won eight of 12 points at the net.

“It sounds silly to say but I hope everyone all around the world realises just how good you are,” Millman, 30, said at the trophy presentation.

“You’re an absolute champion and you’re the type of person who’s going to be remembered forever.

“Your legacy is continuing to build and will just live on long after you’ve finished playing but I’m sure you’ve got a fair few more years left.”

Djokovic has already qualified for next month’s season-ending ATP Finals in London.