(Reuters) - A look at the records of Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga before their second-round match at the Australian Open on Thursday (prefix number denotes seeding): 1-NOVAK DJOKOVIC Age: 31 ATP Ranking: 1 Grand Slam titles: 14 (Australian Open 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016; French Open 2016; Wimbledon 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018; U.S. Open 2011, 2015, 2018) 2018 Australian Open performance: Fourth round Best Australian Open performance: Winner (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016) 2019 Australian Open results: First round: beat Mitchell Krueger (U.S.) 6-3 6-2 6-2 Djokovic needed an elbow surgery in February last year, but after some jarring defeats he returned to the kind of domination he achieved in 2015, winning Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. The Serb, chasing a record seventh title in Melbourne, holds a 16-6 head-to-head advantage over Tsonga, and has finished victorious in each of their last three encounters. JO-WILFRIED TSONGA Age: 33 ATP Ranking: 177 Grand Slam titles: 0 2018 Australian Open performance: Third round Best Australian Open performance: Runner-up (2008) 2019 Australian Open results: First round: beat Martin Klizan (Slovakia) 6-4 6-4 7-6(5) A knee injury forced Tsonga outside the top 200 last season for the first time since 2007 but he started the new year on a positive note, reaching the semi-finals at the Brisbane International. The Frenchman was at his ruthless best as he finished with 23 aces and 53 winners in his opening round victory over Slovakian Martin Klizan.<doc-sep>Top seed Novak Djokovic has set up a second-round Australian Open battle with crowd favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – the man he beat to win his first major at Melbourne Park eleven years ago. Djokovic had little trouble getting past American qualifier Mitchell Krueger 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in his round-one match on Tuesday night. Fit and firing: Novak Djokovic celebrates after defeating Mitchell Krueger in the first round. Credit:AP It sets up a rematch of the 2008 Australian Open final, where the Serb won the first of his six titles at Melbourne Park. "I have tremendous respect for Jo. We are going to face each other again hopefully on this court [Rod Laver Arena] in a few of days," Djokovic said.<doc-sep>Novak Djokovic eased into the Australian Open third round with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. It was a repeat of the 2008 final, which Djokovic won in four sets. Tsonga gained his revenge in the quarter-finals two years later but has slipped outside the top 100 in the rankings after missing most of last season because of knee surgery. Tsonga could be proud of his efforts and pegged Djokovic back when he threatened to pull away but the world number one proved too consistently strong. In his on-court interview after the win, Djokovic said: "It certainly you could feel tension on the court. We were going through a lot of emotions and trying to start in the best possible way. It's always tough playing Jo, he struggled with injuries in the last 12 months, ranking doesn't do him justice at the moment." Next up for Djokovic will be a third-round match on Saturday against the Canadian 25th seed Denis Shapovalov. Djokovic said of Shapovalov: "I have lots of respect for him, for his determination and professionalism at such a young age. He's very mature mentally, which is not common to see. He's proven he can beat players. I'm expecting a tough one." Saturday will be the first meeting between the two players.<doc-sep>Slideshow ( 5 images ) (Reuters) - Eleven years after their first meeting in the Australian Open final, Novak Djokovic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will take a trip down memory lane on Thursday to renew their rivalry in the second round in Melbourne. Djokovic went on to win that memorable match in 2008 for the first of his 14 Grand Slam trophies, while Tsonga has struggled to convert his early potential into titles on the biggest stage, having never reached a Grand Slam final since. While inconsistency has dogged Tsonga throughout his career, knee surgery forced the former world number five out of action for seven months last year to leave him outside the top 200 for the first time since 2007. Tsonga, who has clawed his way back to 177 in the world, needed a wildcard to enter the season’s first major and powered past Slovakia’s Martin Klizan 6-4 6-4 7-6(5) in the first round to set up the meeting with Djokovic. “It’s funny, I mean, 11 years after our first Grand Slam final here, it feels like a lot has happened for both of us,” Djokovic, who had elbow surgery last year before returning to claim the last two Grand Slams, said. “He also struggled with injuries lately. It’s good to see him playing well. It’s good to see him back.” The Serb, who beat qualifier Mitchell Krueger 6-3 6-2 6-2 to advance, is aware of the lurking threat Tsonga poses having lost to the Frenchman six times in 22 career meetings. “I know what to expect... I lost to him... in Rod Laver I think back in 2010,” six-times Australian Open champion Djokovic added. “I’m going to approach it as any other match. Optimistic, but also respectful, trying to do whatever I can to win it.” In the women’s draw, Serena Williams will look to continue her charge towards a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam when she faces Eugenie Bouchard in the second round, while top-ranked Simona Halep takes on unseeded American Sofia Kenin.<doc-sep>
Djokovic was delighted (Picture: Getty Images) Novak Djokovic enjoyed a routine victory in his first-round Australian Open match, beating Mitchell Krueger to set up an intriguing tie with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The Serbian world No. 1 got off to a bit of a rocky start as he was broken early on but he hit back immediately and controlled the rest of the match. There were moments he was left frustrated by his American opponent as he failed to convert multiple break points and Djokovic let out a huge show of emotion when he finally got the decisive breakthrough in the final set. ‘Playing Krueger for the first time, I didn’t know what to expect,’ Djokovic said in his on-court interview after the 6-3 6-2 6-2 win. ‘I tried to do my homework but it’s very different playing him. We were both pumped, there were lots of emotions on the court. I enjoyed the match.’ Tsonga earlier beat Martin Klizan 6-4 6-4 7-6 (7-5) to advance to round two, where he awaits Djokovic. The 33-year-old Frenchman, whose ranking has slipped to world No. 177, met Djokovic in the 2008 final at Melbourne Park, with the 14-time Grand Slam champion coming out on top to win the first major of his career. Tsonga will meet Djokovic (Picture: AFP/Getty Images) ‘I think the reaction of the crowd says it all,’ he said as the Rod Laver Arena supporters responded with excitement to the news of his next opponent. ‘If anyone has some smart advice to give me, I’ll be in the locker room come and talk to my coach. ‘I have tremendous respect for Jo. We played here in our first Grand Slam final here 11 years ago. We’re going to play each other again in a few days, hopefully in this court.’