Novak Djokovic vs. Aljaz Bedene: Score, Reaction from 2015 Australian Open

Four-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic got his 2015 account off to a strong start on Tuesday, beating Aljaz Bedene in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, inside Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.

As if the idea of playing Djokovic alone weren't bad enough for Bedene, according to the tournament's Twitter account, Djokovic has never lost to a player ranked lower than 100 at a major tournament:

With that said, Djokovic did go into the first round with some slight question marks regarding his health. According to Piers Newbery of BBC Sport, he had been dealing with the flu and a stomach ailment in the days leading to the tournament.

"I had a tough couple days but it's all behind me now. I'm ready," Djokovic said yesterday.

He looked none the worse for wear as he stifled Bedene at nearly every opportunity. The 25-year-old Slovenian couldn't touch the top seed.

Courtney Nguyen wonders why everybody's body can't respond to the flu like Djokovic's did:

In addition to his physical and technical advantage, the Serbian star might have also benefited from a little stealth. Carole Bouchard joked that Djokovic's clothing offered the perfect camouflage inside the arena:

Of course, it's not like he needed any additional edge to put Bedene away. Once Djokovic earned a service break in the first set, Bedene was fighting a losing battle.

Djokovic did look somewhat sluggish—at least by his incredibly high standards—early on in the set. He had two more unforced errors than Bedene over the nine games and allowed two break-point opportunities, neither of which Bedene converted.

Djokovic's first-set victory led to this amazing stat by Chris Skelton of Tennis View Magazine:

The gulf in talent between the two players was truly evident in the second set. As Rob Koenig notes, Djokovic dropped a solitary point on serve after winning his first 15 service points:

Workmanlike would be the best way to describe how Djokovic performed. You saw a few of the brilliant shots that make him such a great player, but he didn't need to dig deep into his bag of tricks to prevail. He simply put his head down and attacked Bedene right from the offing. He wasn't about to let the underdog build any confidence.

Djokovic's service game in particular was superb. He lost 18 of his 79 service points over the three sets, and Bedene had just three break-point opportunities.

Bedene himself didn't serve too badly, picking up 12 aces, but you're not going to be one of the best players in the world winning 65 percent of your first serves and 49 percent of your second serves.

Djokovic is the No. 1 player for a reason. You'd expect him to make quick work of Bedene, and that's exactly what he did. It's hard to be any more or less confident that he'll get a fifth title on the basis of this match.

Either Andrey Kuznetsov or Albert Ramos-Vinolas will play Djokovic in the second round, and neither should be a stiff test for him. His first real challenge is likely be Fernando Verdasco in the third round.

Note: Match stats are courtesy of AusOpen.com.