Novak Djokovic, the reigning Australian Open champion, compared the experience of facing 18-year-old qualifier Dino Prizmic to “playing against my own reflection” as he navigated through the most extended first-round Grand Slam match of his career. In his pursuit of an 11th men’s title in Melbourne, Djokovic spent four hours and one minute securing a victory with a score of 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-4.
Prizmic, in his inaugural Grand Slam appearance and confronting his childhood idol, managed to save six match points before Djokovic, at 36 years old, sealed the win. Djokovic lauded Prizmic’s potential, asserting that he possesses all the necessary qualities and room for improvement.
He praised the Croatian’s mental fortitude on the court, highlighting his resilience and absence of weaknesses. Djokovic conveyed a sense of familiarity, feeling as though he was competing against a mirrored version of himself during this demanding match.
Djokovic wins epic opening match at Australian Open!
— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐲 (@TheHeraldDiary) January 15, 2024
Novak Djokovic, the champion and world No. 1, battled through a four-hour marathon against qualifier Dino Prizmic to kick off his Australian Open title defense. It was Djokovic's longest Grand Slam first-round match ever!… pic.twitter.com/9KGinNCDs6
Djokovic, on the brink of possibly clinching his unprecedented 25th Grand Slam singles title this month, later mentioned feeling unwell. As he progresses to the second round, where he will face either Alexei Popyrin or Marc Polmans, Djokovic’s opponent, Prizmic, the current French Open boys’ champion, showcased a bright future with his standout performance on Rod Laver Arena.
The Sunday match surpassed Djokovic’s prior longest first-round contest at a major, a three-hour-57-minute battle against Gael Monfils at the 2005 US Open. After Djokovic secured a straightforward first set, the dynamics shifted unexpectedly when Prizmic broke him for a 3-1 lead in the second set, ultimately winning the tie-break with his fourth set point.
The third set unfolded as a rollercoaster, with Djokovic eventually winning four consecutive games. Nevertheless, Prizmic mounted a comeback with a double break from a 2-0 deficit. In the fourth set, Djokovic initially dominated with a 4-0 lead, but the teenage opponent, determined not to concede easily, broke back and saved four match points in the ninth game, compelling the top seed to serve out for victory.
Djokovic acknowledged Prizmic’s outstanding performance, praising his mental resilience on the court. Despite the match leaning in Djokovic’s favor, he acknowledged Prizmic’s potential and expressed a desire to support him in his future endeavors.
In a state of “complete panic,” fifth seed Andrey Rublev managed to fend off a comeback from the 78th-ranked Thiago Seyboth Wild, securing an intense five-set victory. The 26-year-old Russian, with aspirations of reaching his first major semi-final in 2024, emerged victorious with a scoreline of 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (10-6), setting the stage for a second-round encounter with either Japan’s Taro Daniel or American Christopher Eubanks.
Rublev openly admitted, “I started to experience emotions in the fifth set. I screamed a couple of times. I was complaining. So [in] the fifth set, when I started to feel panic, it was tougher to manage my emotions.” Recognized for struggling to control his on-court emotions, Rublev had previously inflicted harm on himself with his racket, drawing blood in a match against Carlos Alcaraz at the ATP Finals in November.
The heightened pressure was compounded by the fact that his compatriot and close friend Daniil Medvedev had suffered a five-set defeat to Thiago Seyboth Wild at the previous year’s French Open. Rublev conceded, “Daniil, Daniil. Almost throughout the entire fifth set, in every game at least once or twice, I was thinking about what happened to Daniil because [in] the fifth set I was inside completely panicking.”
In a separate development, Matteo Berrettini, a former semi-finalist, withdrew from his opening-round match against Stefanos Tsitsipas due to a foot injury. As a result, the Greek seventh seed will now face Belgian Zizou Bergs.
Meanwhile, American 12th seed Taylor Fritz encountered a demanding five-set opener, rallying from a two-sets-to-one deficit to triumph over Argentine Facundo Diaz Acosta with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. Additionally, compatriot Frances Tiafoe, seeded 17th, progressed by overcoming Croat Borna Coric 6-3, 7-6 (9-7), 2-6, 6-3.
Marin Cilic, the runner-up from Croatia in 2018, suffered a 6-1, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 defeat to Hungarian Fabian Marozsan.
To prevent late finishes, the organizers have extended the Australian Open to a 15-day duration this year, with the tournament commencing on a Sunday for the first time.
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