MELBOURNE: Defending champion
Novak Djokovic clearly enjoys the first burst of a season, which is exactly what the
Australian Open
, where he's gunning for a record seventh title, is to the second-seeded Serbian.
Djokovic, who has won six of his 12 majors at
Melbourne Park
, said, "It's beginning of the year. I see many players feel very inspired and motivated to play their best tennis. They have been through a period of five-six weeks with no official matches."
Djokovic, who has drawn 33-year-old Spaniard
Fernando Verdasco
- against who he survived five match points last week - as his first round opponent, said, "I hope I will not get to the stage where I have to defend match points. Fernando is a very complete player on any surface. On a given day, if things go right, he can beat anybody on any surface."
Djokovic refused to entertain talk of a record seventh Australian Open title. "Honestly, one of the reasons I'm here is to try to win every match that I play, eventually the title. I'm not the only one that is sitting here and talking about the title. I love playing this sport. I love competing," he said.