MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 17: Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates match point in their round ... [+]
Novak Djokovic was clearly not 100 percent in his second-round encounter with Alexei Popyrin in the Australian Open.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion had the sniffles and used a handkerchief to blow his nose. He flexed the right wrist which has bothered him since before the tournament began. And he even confronted a fan who said something Djokovic clearly didn’t like.
“You wanna come here? Come say it to my face,” Djokovic told the fan.
But in the end, as he almost always does in big moments, Djokovic found a way to win, prevailing 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-3, to advance to the third round. He is bidding for his 11th Australian Open title and record 25th major crown.
Asked on court by Jim Courier if he needed to find an “extra gear” and to have “better health” going forward, Djokovic said:
“I sincerely hope so, I mean that’s what it’s going to take for me to go deep in the tournament.
“I haven’t been playing my best but I’m still trying to find the form. But you know, particularly in the early rounds, you play players that have nothing to lose really. They come out on the center court trying to play their best match, best tennis and I think both my first and second-round opponents were really, really great quality tennis players and I managed to find a way to win in four. That’s what counts in the end
“Hopefully I’ll be able to build as this tournament progresses.”
Patrick McEnroe and James Blake noted on ESPN that Djokovic has won three of his U.S. Open titles and one of his Wimbledon crowns while dropping a set in each of his first two matches. Djokovic also needed four sets to take care of 18-year-0ld Croatian qualifier Dino Prižmić.
Djokovic, of course, has a history of coming into the Australian Open with injuries and ailments and still hoisting the trophy at the end.
A year ago, the Serb won his 10th Australian Open crown despite playing on a torn hamstring.
The world No. 1 entered this year’s tournament battling a right wrist injury, but has now navigated his way to the third round.
“We don’t know whether Novak is 100 percent,” John McEnroe, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, said ahead of the tournament. “Obviously, he’s been injured allegedly the last couple of years and won the event handily so...let’s just say he knows how to manage it so we’ll see. Obviously, he’s won it 10 times. Who would’ve thought that would’ve happened?”
Next up for Djokovic is No. 30 Tomas Etcheverry of Argentina, who blitzed former world No. 1 Andy Murray in straight sets in the first round and former French Open and U.S. Open semifinalist Gael Monfils in the second, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
If he gets through that, Djokovic would face the winner between No. 16 Ben Shelton, the young American whom John McEnroe believes is destined to win majors, and No. 20 Adrian Mannarino.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 17: Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece plays a forehand in their round two ... [+]
Also looming in Djokovic’s quarter are No. 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas, last year’s runner-up who needed four sets to advance over Australia’s Jordan Thompson, and No. 12 Taylor Fritz, the highest-ranked American man.
In the semis, Djokovic could potentially meet No. 4 Jannik Sinner, who beat him twice at the end of last year, or No. 5 Andrey Rublev.
“Next up is Etcheverry, a very dangerous player, I think maybe under the radar for a lot of people,” Blake said on air. “But he’s continued to improve these last couple years and took out Andy Murray pretty comfortable. He’s looking solid.
“So it’s not going to be easy [for Djokovic]. He definitely will need to keep improving throughout this event. He’s clearly capable of doing that, though.”
