Djokovic, making his first competitive appearance since Wimbledon last year due to an elbow injury, blitzed Young 6-1 6-2 6-4 on Margaret Court Arena.

The Serbian 14th seed benefited from an error-ridden display by Young, who was no match for the 12-time grand slam champion.

The biggest question mark for Djokovic was his conversion, with the 30-year-old only making the most of six of 25 break points during the one hour, 52 minutes.

Djokovic, a six-time winner in Melbourne, wore a sleeve on his right arm as he moved into the second round, where Gael Monfils or Jaume Munar await.

Young's forehand was wayward throughout the first set, the American broken in the fourth and sixth games.

Djokovic went on a run of 10 consecutive games, going from 1-1 in the first set to 5-0 up in the second.

He broke again in the third game of the third set with a backhand return winner, closing out a comfortable victory.