Novak Djokovic could not hide his satisfaction after completing the first step on the road to a place in history.

Bidding to become the first man in the Open era to win three successive titles in Australia, Djokovic hit the ground running to brush aside Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu.

On his first appearance on Rod Laver Arena since his epic five-set triumph over Rafael Nadal 12 months ago, the world No.1 had a more straightforward afternoon, winning 6-2, 6-4, 7-5.

The first two sets were routine and although Mathieu upped his level as the match went on, Djokovic secured a break late in the third to move through to a meeting with American Ryan Harrison.

The Serb said: "It was a good performance for a first round.

"I felt I was in control of the match in the opening two sets. Then he started playing better, striking the ball quite well from both sides on the baseline. He was serving really precisely. It was tough to break. But in the end, in that 11th game, I made some good shots."

On a day largely free of upsets, fourth-seed David Ferrer and fifth-seed Tomas Berdych also advanced with ease.

Ferrer proved too strong for Belgian Olivier Rochus, winning 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 inside two hours, and Berdych had little trouble in dispatching American Michael Russell 6-3, 7-5, 6-3.