MELBOURNE Australia (AP) MeLBOURNE (AP)The Australian tennis star Novak Djokovic briefly showed his human side on Thursday during the Australian Open, dropping a service game for the first time at the tournament. It was a rare error in a dominant 6-1, 6-2, and 6-1 win against Francesco Maestrelli that sent him into the third round.
It marked the 399th Grand Slam singles victory of Djokovic’s professional career, making the 38-year-old Serbian just a few steps away from an unheard-of milestone. In tennis history, no player has ever won 400 times in the four major tennis events. It’s another sign that Djokovic is currently measuring himself against numbers and not his opponents.
Age was, however, an issue across Melbourne Park on Day 5. Stan Wawrinka, nearly three years older than Djokovic played an one-of-a-kind tournament with spectacular performances. With a age of 40 and 331 days old and 310 days, the 2014 Australian Open champion became the first player over the age of 40 to make it to an event’s third-round tournament since 1978. He fought back to win the gruelling 6-6, 6-3, 3-6 7-5 7-6 (3) victory against 21-year-old qualifying player Arthur Gea that stretched more than four and five hours.
While the seasoned players slowed down the clock, youthfulness and efficiency was on display later during the daytime. The defending champion Jannik Sinner stayed on course to complete the rare Australian Open three-peat, overwhelming James Duckworth 6-1, 6-4 at 6-2, and not even making a dent during a contest lasting less than two hours.
The fact that Sinner being a candidate for”an” Australian Wild Card, the tournament’s organizers gave him the evening session at a prime time at Rod Laver Arena, pushing 10 times champion Djokovic to the late afternoon. Djokovic was able to take the shift in scheduling at a good pace, but it was evident that he didn’t like the only break of service that he lost in the third set. an unlucky volley following serving and then volleying on another serve.
The incident was less of a weak point than a reminder of Djokovic’s uncompromising standards. He immediately reacted to the love of his life, asserted control, and won the match Maestrelli placed him at no. 140, had pushed his groundstroke too long. In routine wins, Djokovic appears to be practicing for harder tests in the future.
Djokovic is looking to win his 11. Australian Open title and a 25th Grand Slam championship, a achievement that will set him apart from all other players who have held a tennis racket at the top of the game. The Serbian said that his offseason training let him work on the finer points which keep his game on the upswing over time.
“When I’m able to have the time to do so, I take the time to think about my game and how I could do to improve my game,” Djokovic said. “Otherwise then, what’s the purpose? This attitude is what allows me compete at the top level in this particular age.”
And in other tournaments, the world’s No. 1 Iga Swiatek made it to the next round in a chilly day on the John Cain Arena, defeating Marie Bouzkova 6-2, 6-3. Swiatek revealed that she’s been studying Djokovic’s strategy for endurance and continuous excellencewhich is a fitting tribute to the day that Melbourne was reminded of how greatness is a matter of careful management. will last much longer than was expected.
