Still the favourite: Why Novak Djokovic’s big-point mentality sets him apart

When Novak Djokovic scanned the first-round draw at the Australian Open, he feared an immediate exit.

Fernando Verdasco awaited the recently-demoted world number two under the Rod Laver lights, keen to exact revenge after spurning five match points in their last duel in Doha just 11 days previous. The Spaniard, slayer of compatriot Rafa Nadal at the same stage last season, was a former semi-finalist in Melbourne. It had all the hallmarks of a classic.

Two hours and 20 minutes later, tennis neutrals were left despondent, save for a momentum-shifting second set that displayed the best and worst of Djokovic.

After blowing a bagel opportunity in a one-sided first set, the 29-year-old allowed errors to creep into his game and saw his fabled defence exposed by some unremitting hitting from the other side of the net. Twice he was broken; twice he was handed a reprieve by Verdasco, who furiously chuntered at his team, fully aware of the opportunity at hand as he puppeteered his opponent from corner to corner.

And yet while he was unable to deal with his opponent's groundstrokes, particularly on the service return, Djokovic somehow stayed level to force a tie-break – a talent that has helped define his career at the summit.

Both players' games were riddled with unforced errors, but while Verdasco's big openings saw the ball repeatedly shank off his racquet frame into the evening sky, Djokovic was unerring with his accuracy. Was anyone really surprised when the Serb overturned a mini-break to take the breaker?

Verdasco was the superior player in the second set; Djokovic snatched it, taking his rival's spirit as collateral. Scribble out Verdasco's name and replace it with any other from the current generation. How many times has this been the tale?

For all the chat about Djokovic's decline – and there were numerous creeks evident despite his straight sets win – it's his innate capacity for coming through perilous situations that has shaped his domination of men's tennis over the past six years. The belief that he won't be beaten has seen him subdue many who have threatened to outclass him with heavy baseline hitting.

"Of course when I saw the draw I thought it was the only match I would focus on. I could have finished off early in the tournament if he was on [form]," Djokovic admitted afterwards.

He was right to be guarded, but his journey to another Melbourne final already looks serene with Verdasco moved aside. A potential fourth round clash with Grigor Dimitrov is perhaps his biggest obstacle, while the unknown Rafa Nadal could await in the last four.

Talk of a momentum shift has simmered since the Serb's unravelling at Andy Murray's hands at the ATP World Tour Finals, but it's still folly to suggest he's not the man to beat in Melbourne. There are two leading men in tennis right now and it's the second seed who is chasing a record seventh title. Murray may be playing the best and most consistent tennis – although his defeat in Doha to Djokovic hints at another truth – but he must find an antidote to Djokovic's clutch play before his rise to the top of the game is truly accepted.

The defending champion has arrived at the Australian Open. And he's here to stay.