Novak Djokovic survived another rollercoaster four-set match to book his spot in the third round of the Australian Open. The world No. 1 dropped a set to Australian No. 2 Alexei Popyrin and looked to be physically struggling before he found a second wind in the fourth set when a member of the crowd heckled him, coming through 6-3 4-6 7-6(4) 6-3.
Popyrin enjoyed a fairytale run at his home Grand Slam tournament a year ago, upsetting eighth seed Taylor Fritz, and was hoping to repeat his heroics against Djokovic. But it was a big ask for the world No. 43, who could barely win a point on the 10-time champion’s serve in the opening set.
The 24-year-old was under constant pressure, fending off break points in his first few service games before Djokovic finally wore him down and closed out the opener 6-3. It was a shaky start for the Australian, who hit 17 unforced errors in the first set compared to just five from Djokovic. But the nerves started to fade away for Popyrin in set number two as he finally got his first break of the Djokovic serve to lead 3-1.
The home hope cruised through his service games, barely dropping a point, until he was tasked with closing out the set. The 24-time Grand Slam winner pounced at a crucial moment, breaking Popyrin to stay alive. But the world No. 43 refused to go away and had two set points with Djokovic serving to stay in it, bringing the top seed to the net before getting the job done with a stunning lob.
The unforced error count started to creep up for the 36-year-old, who hit 11 in the second set – the same as Popyrin. “When you look at his body language he looks a little bit flat, a little bit tired. Not sure if he’s feeling 100 per cent,” Barbara Schett speculated on Eurosport. Popyrin continued to thrill the home crowd at the beginning of the third, prompting the umpire to ask the fans to “calm down a little bit between the points”.
It quickly became apparent that Popyrin was also struggling physically as he called the trainer and received a five-minute medical time out to have treatment on his calf. Djokovic, meanwhile, could be seen blowing his nose having previously confirmed that he had been battling an illness.
The world No. 1 also picked up a wrist injury at the recent United Cup but said it was no longer an issue ahead of the Australian Open. Nick Kyrgios – who was commentating on the match for Eurosport – didn’t agree. “I think Alexei realising there could be an issue with the right wrist so making and chipping just a few extra balls, asking the question,” the former world No. 13 said during the third set.
“If you look at Novak’s body language, it’s a bit unusual at the moment. I’m just looking at the body language. He doesn’t seem to be too engaged. You do expect that sometimes from players because of the length the time they’re out there on the court. But just the forehand errors, the moving in constantly, I definitely think there is – depending on if it could be getting worse – there’s something there for sure.”
It certainly looked that way as Djokovic suddenly found himself facing three set points while serving at 4-5 down. But he showed why he’s been able to win the tournament 10 times, digging himself out of a hole and forcing a tiebreak, where he took the rollercoaster, 74-minute third set 7-6(4).
The match suddenly turned in the fourth set when a member of the crowd started heckling Djokovic with things all square at 2-2. The top seed turned around to confront the spectator, waving his hand and responding: “Come and say it to my face”. The adversity was the extra boost that the 36-year-old needed as he went on to win the next three games in a row, breaking Popyrin.
It looked like it was going to be four in a row for the 24-time Major champion to book his spot in round three but Popyrin held his nerve and saved three match points, forcing Djokovic to close it out himself. And the Serb did just that, picking up his 30th successive match win in Melbourne Park and his 91st overall.
