World No.1 and reigning champion Novak Djokovic showered praise on youngster Dino Prizmic after his first-round Australian Open win against the Croatian at the Rod Laver Arena on Sunday. Not many times Djokovic has been pushed to the limits in the opening round of his favorite Slam but Prizmic had other ideas.
The veteran made a solid start, breaking the 18-year-old serve early into the match and took the opening set comfortably by 6-2. But Prizmic showed he was not going down without a fight as he won the second set in the tiebreaker.
Djokovic took the third set by 6-3 and then took a 4-0 lead in the fourth set. However, once again Prizmic showed why he is one to watch out for in the future as bounced back strongly. But in the end, Djokovic registered his 90th win at the Australian Open as he won 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the second round.
“I love the way he uses every inch of the court. He is comfortable coming in, he defends incredibly well,” said Djokovic in his on-court interview after beating the #NextGenATP Croatian in the longest first-round match of his career. “Just an amazing performance for someone who is 18 years old and never had an experience of playing on a big stage.
“Big kudos to him and his team, and I certainly want to be in his corner, so hopefully he will invite me because he is going to do some big things in his career.”
The Serbian admitted that Prizmic played maturely throughout the game and impressed with his game despite being only 18.
“I had an amazing opponent tonight,” Djokovic later reflected in his post-match press conference. “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. If he continues this way, he’s going to have a very bright career ahead of him, no doubt.”
Djokovic will face Australia’s Alexei Popyrin in the second round of the ongoing Slam on Wednesday.
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