Djokovic starts Australian Open defence with Prizmic win

Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic had a fierce start to the 2024 tournament as he battled to win over qualifier Dino Prizmic in the first round.

The Serb, chasing a record-extending 11th men’s title in Australia, needed four hours and one minute to beat the 18-year-old Croat 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-4.

Prizmic was playing in his first Grand Slam match but successfully saved six match points before eventually losing to Djokovic.

“He gave me a run for my money,” Djokovic said in an on-court interview.

Read Also: I’m living my childhood dreams, says US Open winner Djokovic

“He deserves all the applause. He is an amazing player, he handled himself incredibly well on the court. This is his moment.

“It could easily have been his match as well. He showed great mentality and resilience

“I certainly want to be in his corner. So hopefully he will invite me, because he will make some big things in his career that’s for sure.”

36-year-old Djokovic is aiming for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title, and will face Alexei Popyrin or Marc Polmans in the second round.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now