Djokovic makes winning return

MARSEILLE: World No 3 Novak Djokovic celebrated his return to action with a 7-6 6-4 victory over France's Jeremy Chardy in the first round of the Marseille Open on Wednesday.

Djokovic was playing his first match since retiring against American Andy Roddick during their Australian Open quarter-final last month.

"I took some rest after the Australian Open", Djokovic told reporters. "It was hard to get some rhythm today because I played against a big server and we were both serving well with a high percentage of first serves. It was just a matter of a couple of points that decided the winner," he added.