By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Sunday, January 14, 2024
Novak Djokovic Djokovic subdued stress and talented qualifier Dino Prizmic, 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 in a grueling AO opener that spanned four hours.
Photo credit: Julian Finney/Getty
Extended excellence marks Novak Djokovic's Australian Open dominance.
Defending AO champion Djokovic survived the long game in his AO opener tonight.
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Pushed in the longest first-round Grand Slam match of his career, Djokovic subdued stress and talented Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic, 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 in a grueling AO opener.
Launching his quest for a record 25th Grand Slam championship, Djokovic tamed the 18-year-old major debutant half his age in a four hour, one minute marathon.
The exhausting experience left Djokovic feeling like he was playing a mirror man at points as Prizmic produced some of the superb sliding strikes reminiscent of the champion.
It was the top seed's 29th consecutive Australian Open victory and the longest Grand Slam first-round victory of Djokovic's career, surpassing his 2005 US Open win over Gael Monfils that was played on an outer court and featured a lengthy timeout for treatment.
Afterward, Djokovic praised his dynamic teenage opponent as "amazing" and shared he's been battling illness in recent days.
"I am a bit under the weather last, yeah, four, five days. You can probably judge by my voice," Djokovic said. "Look, it is what it is. You just have to try to deal with it and get over it and accept the circumstances and try to make the most of it.
"I mean, I had an amazing opponent tonight. For an 18-year-old, he played so maturely and confidently on the court, fighting through, not giving up even when he was four down in the fourth set. Impressed with his mentality, with his approach, with his game. I hear a lot of positive stories about his discipline, his dedication to everyday routines that are making him so physically strong already at 18 and successful.
Yeah, if he continues this way, he's going to have a very bright career ahead of him, no doubt."
The 10-time AO champion had his hands full against a fearless world No. 178 Prizmic, who committed seven fewer unforced errors than Djokovic (49 to 42).
A gritty Djokovic, who was bothered by a wrist issue in his United Cup loss to Alex de Minaur, smacked 11 aces against one double fault and defended his second serve more diligently. Djokovic won 32 of 52 second-serve points, while Prizmic won 12 of 39 points played on his second serve.
Experience, deep desire and some sharp serving when he needed it carried Djokovic through a very complicated opener.
"I played one loose game in the second set. Handed him the break," Djokovic said. "I rebroke, but I could feel he's starting to feel more comfortable, he's not missing as much. There were some grueling rallies, very physical game.
"Almost four hours for four sets. It felt at some point I was playing myself in a mirror already. I hear that he liked to watch me when he was growing up. I mean, he's got an incredible defense, especially from the backhand side. Very all-around game.
"Of course, he's got every shot in the game to improve. For an 18-year-old, I think I'm most impressed with his physical state. His legs are so super strong and so solid. Also the mentality. He came out there not with a desire to just play a nice set or enjoy the experience, but rather to win. Kudos to him. It was impressive."
The top-seeded Djokovic will play an Aussie in round two: either Alexei Popyrin or 156th-ranked wild card Marc Polmans.
The degree of difficulty Djokovic navigated in the opening round will raise questions about his vulnerability moving forward as well as the tournament's new Sunday start and revised scheduled designed to diminish late-night Melbourne finishes.
Because of the length of the match, defending AO women's champion Aryna Sabalenka did not start her opener on Rod Laver Arena until about 11:40 p.m. local time.
That late start inspired Sabalenka who stormed through 11 consecutive games demolishing 172nd-ranked German qualifier Ella Seidel 6-0, 6-1 in just 52 minutes.