By Chris Oddo | Thursday January 18, 2017
Novak Djokovic’s bid for Australian Open history came to a halt on Thursday at Melbourne. Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin, ranked No.117 in the world, defeated Djokovic for the first time in six career matches, 7-6(8), 5-7, 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4.
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Six-time champion Djokovic was bidding to become the first man to win seven titles at the Australian Open. But he was unable to shake free of Istomin despite rallying to take a two sets to one lead after dropping the opener.
Djokovic remains tied with Roy Emerson, who won six titles at the Australian Open between 1961 and 1967.
“All the credit to Denis for playing amazing,” Djokovic said in a press conference which was held mere minutes after the match’s conclusion. “He deserved to win. No doubt, he was a better player in the clutch moments. He stepped it up, played aggressive. Served very well, very precise. There's not much I could do.”
The match began dramatically, as Djokovic saved six break points in a wild first game that lasted 16 minutes. Afterwards, while both players sat in their chairs at the change of ends, Djokovic animatedly joked with Istomin that they should just move on to a tiebreaker to finish the set.
The tennis was back-and-forth and intense, with Istomin taking the first set after saving a pair of set points, and Djokovic battling back to take sets two and three.
It seemed that Djokovic, one of the greatest champions that Rod Laver Arena has ever seen and the champion at Melbourne in five of the last six seasons, would cruise to the finish but he lost his way against the punchy Istomin early in set four.
“I feel like the first couple games of fourth set, that's where it turned around,” he said. “That's where I had to use my chances, step it up. I didn't. He started playing better from that point on. He just started swinging through and getting more confidence. Then it was really a gamble.”
The gambling paid off for Istomin, who finished with 63 winners and 61 unforced errors in the match. He took a 4-1 lead in the fourth set before Djokovic rallied to level at 4-all.
But Istomin would stay alive by winning the fourth-set breaker and then quickly move ahead by a break in the decider. For a player who had previously never defeated a Top-2 player, Istomin performed remarkably down the stretch. He didn’t allow the world’s best returner a look at a break point and held at 15 in his final game, closing the match as a Djokovic backhand sailed long.
Afterwards he stood on the court in disbelief and addressed the crowd.
“First of all I feel sorry for Novak,” he said. “I was playing so good today.”
Then he thanked his mother, who is also his coach, and continued to try to express how he felt after the biggest win of his career.
It wasn’t easy.
Istomin’s improbable path at Melbourne will continue on Saturday when he meets Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta in the third round. The 30-year-old had to earn a Wild Card at the Asia-Pacific playoff this winter. He has been to the third round of a Grand Slam three times, but never in Australia, and never has he progressed any further.
Djokovic has not lost this early at a major since 2008 when he fell to Marat Safin in the second round. The 12-time major champion has failed to win a major since Roland Garros last year. Many believed that he was ready to reclaim his recently lost No.1 ranking after he defeated Andy Murray at Doha earlier this month.
But that goal of his will have to wait.
When asked what he took from this loss at his post-match press conference, Djokovic couldn’t resist making a joke to release some tension.
“I take my bags and I go home,” he said.