Djokovic endures longest first round match of Grand Slam career against teen ace
Novak Djokovic, the world number one, had a close call against 18-year-old Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic in his first-round match at the Australian Open.
Despite being tipped to win his 11th title at the Melbourne Park venue where he hasn't lost since 2018, Djokovic was pushed hard by the young talent.
Prizmic showed his potential by taking the second set and putting up a strong fight in the third. However, Djokovic managed to secure a 6-2 6-7 (5) 6-3 6-4 victory after four hours and one minute of play. The champion praised the debutant, saying: "He deserved every applause, every credit that he got tonight."
"He's an amazing player I must say, so mature for his age. This is his moment and it could easily have been his match as well. He made me really run for my money for sure tonight. Amazing performance for someone that is 18 years old that has never had experience of playing on this stage.
"I certainly want to be in his corner, so hopefully he will invite me because we're going to be seeing a lot of him in the future."
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Unfortunately, things didn't start well for Prizmic as he lost his opening service game and needed medical attention for his left groin. He was already playing with his right arm taped up and couldn't seem to trouble Djokovic in the first set. But then, things started to look up for him in the second.
Djokovic was made to work hard for his win (AFP via Getty Images)Djokovic had an amazing run of winning tie-breaks at grand slams this year, but he lost one badly here and the match got really tense. Djokovic looked a bit stressed and kept making mistakes, which let Prizmic come back from behind in the third set.
Djokovic's coach, Goran Ivanisevic, looked worried as he watched Prizmic, who he saw win the French Open junior title last year. In the end, Djokovic managed to win, but it wasn't easy, and other players will have taken note.
"I'm double his age," Djokovic said. "Reality hits hard tonight. I struggled in many different moments, but he had an answer for everything. Now I have a couple of days, so hopefully I'll be able to be at my best for the next match."
Prizmic was praised by Djokovic after the match (AFP via Getty Images)Andrey Rublev, the fifth seed, was super relieved to just barely beat Brazil's Thiago Seyboth Wild in a tie-break during the fifth set.
Rublev was reminded of his friend Daniil Medvedev's exit at the French Open last summer as he trailed 4-1 in the deciding tie-break. However, he managed to secure a 7-5 6-4 3-6 4-6 7-6 (10/6) victory after three hours and 42 minutes.
Former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini had to withdraw due to ongoing injury problems. He was set to face Stefanos Tsitsipas on Monday but had to pull out due to a right foot injury.
Berrettini has been replaced by Belgian Zizou Bergs, who will now play against Tsitsipas.
Djokovic ended up victorious (AFP via Getty Images)Fourth seed Jannik Sinner started his campaign with a straight-sets win over Botic van de Zandschulp. After his late finish to last season, he said: "I feel like I started off actually really well for the first match."
"Then after I had some moments where I made a couple of wrong choices, but this can happen. It was important today for me because I was looking forward to stepping on the court."
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Taylor Fritz, seeded twelfth, came back from being down in two sets against Facundo Diaz Acosta and even got medical help after hurting his ankle, but he managed to win with scores of 4-6 6-3 3-6 6-2 6-4.
Marin Cilic, who was a finalist before, played his first big tournament game since his knee surgery at the US Open in 2022, but Hungary's Fabian Marozsan beat him in four sets.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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