World number one Novak Djokovic powered to a 6-2 6-1 win over Florian Mayer in his first match since Wimbledon while Canadian players upstaged Rafa Nadal with a string of surprise victories at the Rogers Cup on Tuesday.

A fit and fresh looking Djokovic, who was beaten by Andy Murray to the All England Club crown, showed little signs of rust from a lack of recent match practice as he took just 56 minutes to advance on a warm Montreal evening.

The Serbian, renowned for his sense of humour and reputation as an entertainer, then celebrated his victory with some impromptu dancing in the centre of the main arena, much to the delight of the fans who had stayed late to watch him.

“It’s the first game (for me) since Wimbledon, I had four weeks off but it was a great performance,” a smiling Djokovic said in a courtside interview once he had ended his crowd-pleasing antics.

The return of the two-time defending champion after a month off had followed Nadal’s first competitive match since his shock first round exit at Wimbledon.

It proved to be a successful, yet tense, one for Nadal as he and his doubles partner Pablo Andujar saved two match points before they beat Spanish compatriots David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez 6-7 6-1 12-10.

The second day’s play, however, belonged to the understated locals, including three wildcard entries who stunned their more highly-fancied opponents as they basked in the home support.

World number 71 Vasek Pospisil produced the biggest upset when he surged to an unlikely first round win over in-form American John Isner 5-7 7-6 7-6.

Frank Dancevic, another local wildcard, also rallied to beat Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun in three sets while Felip Peliwo became the fourth Canadian to reach the last 32 when Finland’s Jarko Nieminen retired with a pulled hamstring trailing 3-1 in the deciding set.

Canada’s top ranked player Milos Raonic then completed a memorable day for the hosts with a 6-3 4-6 7-5 triumph over Jeremy Chardy, of France, to become the fifth local into the second round.