Novak Djokovic: Serbian Star Regains Dominant Form in Opening-Round Win

Don't look now, but a return to the U.S. Open just may have been the necessary catalyst for a return to the Novak Djokovic era in men's tennis.

The defending champion at Flushing Meadows, Djokovic made slight work of his first-round opponent, Paolo Lorenzi, dispensing of the Italian in just 73 minutes en route to an impressive 6-1, 6-0, 6-1 victory.

With Rafael Nadal out of the 2012 tournament with an ailing knee and Roger Federer without an Open championship since 2008, Djokovic came into Flushing Meadows as the 3/1 favorite (via Bovada.lv) to repeat.

And after the victory, the 25-year-old star seemed pleased with his play, saying (via the Associated Press):

"

It's also important for me to try to be as economical with the time I spend on the court as possible, but obviously not underestimating any opponent. I played really focused, tried to get to the net, also. It was great, all in all.

"

More than being "economical" with his time, his utter evisceration of Lorenzi sparked nostalgic memories of his amazing 2011 ATP campaign. 

It would be almost impossible for Djokovic to ever be as dominant as last season. With three Slams, 10 total tournaments and countless individual accolades, Djoker's 2011 campaign will go down in tennis folklore as one of the greatest in tour history. 

Regardless, the fact that the Serb could not extend the Djokovic era into a second ATP season has been a relative disappointment.

He started 2012 on fire once again, taking home the Australian Open for the second straight year. After that, though, it's been a year of near-misses, with Djokovic failing to medal at the London Summer Olympics, losing his world No. 1 ranking to Federer and bringing home just three ATP titles this season.

But after a win at the Rogers Cup and a trip to the finals at the Western and Southern Open, things are starting to pick back up. 

If the No. 2 seed's performance in the first round was any indication, we could be seeing a revival of Djokovic's former dominance. The Serb won 79 of 114 points, beat Lorenzi 32-10 on winners and dropped seven aces. That wasn't just a good Djokovic performance; that was 2011 on display once again. 

And, quite frankly, it couldn't come at a better time for tennis. 

Federer is 31 years old—a phenomenal 31 whose peak lasted far longer than anyone expected, yet he's still in the twilight of his career. Age creeps up on everyone, even the greatest tennis player of all time. 

What's more, with Nadal's career firmly planted in park due to a never-ending stream of injuries, this should be Djokovic's time.

At Flushing Meadows, his bracket is devoid of both Federer and Andy Murray. That means it's at least theoretically smooth sailing to the finals on his half of the bracket. 

But to truly recapture the attention of the tennis world, Djokovic needs to build on his opening-round triumph, take down the field and handily bring home his second straight U.S. Open title.