Novak Djokovic, aiming for an 11th Australian Open title and a historic 25th Grand Slam, faced a challenging start on Sunday against 18-year-old qualifier Dino Prizmic.
The Serbian tennis superstar struggled to assert dominance on Rod Laver Arena, dropping a set to the impressive Croatian before eventually securing a victory in a four-hour marathon with a final scoreline of 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4.
Despite not being at his best, the world number one displayed no signs of the right wrist issue that affected his pre-tournament preparations. Djokovic acknowledged the competition, stating, "Credit to him; he had an incredible game plan; he had an answer to everything. I had some good moments and other moments I wish I could have played better. Physically, I'm still finding myself on court."
Reflecting on his age, Djokovic humorously commented on starting well for a 36-year-old but acknowledged the reality of being double Prizmic's age. Despite the challenges, Djokovic's victory extended his record at Melbourne Park to 90-8, reaching the second round for the 17th consecutive year.
The match was far from the anticipated cruise, with Prizmic's speed and baseline play causing Djokovic to make uncharacteristic errors. Djokovic praised the young Croatian, stating, "He deserves every applause, every credit he gets... This is his moment, honestly. It could have easily been his match as well. We are going to see a lot of him in the future."
While Djokovic faces a tough journey to break records, including surpassing Margaret Court's all-time Slam record and joining the elite group with 11 wins at a single major, he remains optimistic about his physical condition and performance. Djokovic now awaits the winner of an all-Australian clash between Marc Polmans and Alexei Popyrin in the next round.
