Australian Open: Novak Djokovic Fought Illness for First Round Win

Top seed Novak Djokovic shook off the effects of a lingering virus to launch his quest for a fifth Australian Open title with an expected winning start on Tuesday.

The Serb world number one overcame Slovenia's Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in 1hr 49min on Rod Laver Arena, where he lost to eventual champion Stan Wawrinka in the quarter-finals of last year's tournament.

Djokovic has been laid low by a virus for the last couple of weeks but he still had too much for 116th-ranked Bedene, going on to secure passage into the next round.

"It's fading away. It hasn't been an ideal couple of weeks in terms of health and preparation," admitted Djokovic, who won the tournament in 2008, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

"But I fought my way through. Now it's behind me. I'm only looking forward.

"I did well in terms of responding to the slow start today, feeling a little bit rusty on the court. So hopefully the next one will be even better."

Djokovic will play either Russian Andrey Kuznetsov or Spain's Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the next round.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion broke Bedene's service four times and only had three break points against his own serve in the match.

"The start was a bit slower, weaker performance from my side. He had a couple of break points," he said.

"The match could have gone a different way in the first set. I've never played him. Watched him only once.

"He did surprise me. I had a difficult time to read his serve. The courts are playing a little bit faster than they were the last two years than they were in previous years.

"So if you have a big serve, know how to use it, it's a big advantage on these courts."

There was no likelihood of an ambush with Djokovic in the driving seat.

He has lost twice in the first round in Melbourne, against Marat Safin in 2005 and in the following year to Paul Goldstein. It is the only Grand Slam event where he has been tipped out in the opening round.

"I managed to stay tough, overcome some kind of challenges that I faced in the beginning of the match. I played much more comfortably in the rest of the match," he said.

Djokovic is predicting the established order of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and himself to be figuring at the business end of the tournament.

"We always talk prior to the big tournaments, during the first days of the Grand Slams, about who the potential players are for winning the trophy," he said.

"You know, more or less the same names have been going around for the last seven or eight years.

"So I don't think there is any difference in terms of main favorites for this tournament even this year in the Australian Open.

"There are a few other players that are able to challenge the best."