After 2h59 of play, and after losing the first set, the 37-year-old Serb, 7th in the world, won 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
In the 2nd round, another qualifier, the Portuguese Jaime Faria, 21 years old and 125th in the world, will be the opponent of the man with 24 Grand Slam titles.