Austrian world No.5 Dominic Thiem insists he'll be fit for the start of the Australian Open as he recovers from a virus and jet-lag.
Thiem looked out of sorts in his Kooyong match against former world No.1 Novak Djokovic, who was pumped up for his first match after six months sidelined with an elbow injury.
A lacklustre Thiem lost the first set to a rampant Djokovic before improving in second for a 6-1 6-4 scoreline.
The 24-year-old said he was still recovering from the illness which forced him out of the semi-finals in Doha last week and delayed his arrival into Melbourne.
"I'm free of fever and healthy again," Thiem said post-match.
"I'm still really jetlagged; because of the virus I only arrived Monday night and I was a little bit slow on the court in the beginning."
Thiem, who made the fourth round at the Open last year, was confident he would be 100 per cent by his first match.
"I had three or four days in bed and it threw me back a little bit but I think it's enough time to get the body back."
Thiem will take on Frenchman Lucas Pouille in his second Kooyong clash on Thursday.
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