Australian Open 2024 results: Novak Djokovic beats qualifier Dino Prizmic in his longest first-round match

Novak Djokovic, the current Australian Open titleholder, expressed that his match against Dino Prizmic felt like "facing a reflection of myself." This was due to the lengthy nature of the match, which marked the longest first-round Grand Slam match that Djokovic has ever played. Prizmic, a young qualifier, provided a tough challenge for the reigning champion, resulting in a close and exciting game.

Djokovic, who was vying for his 11th victory at the Melbourne tournament, took four hours and one minute to defeat the 18-year-old opponent with a final score of 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-4.

During his first time at a Grand Slam, Croat Prizmic encountered his childhood hero. Despite facing six chances for his opponent to win the match, Prizmic persisted. However, Novak Djokovic, who is 36 years old, ultimately claimed the victory.

Djokovic, currently the top-ranked player in the world, expressed that his opponent, who holds a low rank at 178th, possesses a great deal of capability and room for growth.

I really appreciate how focused he is when playing, he always perseveres and doesn't quit."

I had the sensation that I was competing with a reflection of myself. He does not appear to have any weaknesses, to be honest.

Djokovic, who has the potential of attaining a new feat of 25 Grand Slam singles title this month, subsequently mentioned that he was feeling "unwell".

The Serbian player is scheduled to compete against either Alexei Popyrin or Marc Polmans in the next round. Meanwhile, Prizmic, who was crowned champion in the boys' category at the French Open last year, showcased an impressive performance on Rod Laver Arena, indicating a promising future ahead for him.

The game played on Sunday was longer than Djokovic's previous longest game in the first round of a major tournament. That game was with Gael Monfils at the US Open in 2005, and it lasted for three hours and 57 minutes.

Not many people would have expected the intense battle that ensued after Djokovic won the first set with ease.

Prizmic gave a clue about what would happen next by successfully losing Djokovic's service in the second set, taking a 3-1 lead. He then managed to stay composed and win the tie-break by utilizing his fourth set point.

The match became thrilling in the third set when Djokovic won four games in a row after Prizmic had initially taken a double break from being down 2-0.

As the match progressed, Djokovic seemed to have already won in the fourth set when he achieved a 4-0 lead. However, his young competitor did not give up easily and managed to break back. In addition, he saved four match points in the ninth game, causing Djokovic to have to serve out the rest of the match to secure his victory.

"He should be applauded. He is a fantastic athlete, his performance on the court was exceptional. This is his time," affirmed Djokovic.

The match could have belonged to him too, since he displayed an impressive mentality and determination.

I definitely want to support him. I hope he asks me because he is destined for great success in his profession.

Andrey Rublev, who is ranked fifth amongst the players, faced a nervy situation when he played against Thiago Seyboth Wild, who ranks 78th in the world. Rublev said he was extremely panicked during the match but managed to win it, even though it was a close match that lasted five sets.

The Russian athlete, who is 26 years old and hoping to make it to his first major semi-final in 2024, emerged victorious with a final score of 7-5 6-4 3-6 4-6 7-6 (10-6). He will now move on to compete in the second round against either Taro Daniel from Japan or Christopher Eubanks from the United States.

Rublev expressed that he began to feel emotional during the fifth set of the match. He let out a couple of screams and began to voice his complaints. As the set progressed and his emotions intensified, it became more difficult for him to control them.

Rublev sometimes has difficulty controlling his feelings while playing tennis. During a match against Carlos Alcaraz at the ATP Finals in November, he struck himself so forcefully with his racquet that he caused a bleeding wound.

Rublev mentioned feeling more pressure due to his good friend and fellow countryman Daniil Medvedev's loss to Brazilian player Seyboth Wild in a five-set match at the previous year's French Open.

"Daniil was on my mind almost throughout the whole fifth set. At least once or twice in every game, I was grappling with the thought of his well-being, as it made me extremely nervous."

Somewhere else, Matteo Berrettini, who previously reached the semi-finals, decided not to participate in his first-round match against Stefanos Tsitsipas due to his foot injury. This implies that instead of facing Matteo, the seventh seed Greek player will face Zizou Bergs from Belgium.

Taylor Fritz, the 12th seed from America, faced a tough challenge in his first match. He had to battle it out for five sets, even falling behind by two sets to one at one point. However, he managed to turn things around and eventually emerged victorious against his opponent, Facundo Diaz Acosta from Argentina, with a final score of 4-6 6-3 3-6 6-2 6-4.

Frances Tiafoe, a player from the same country, who was given the 17th seed, advanced to the next stage of the tournament after defeating Borna Coric from Croatia with a score of 6-3 7-6 (9-7) 2-6 6-3.

Hungarian Fabian Marozsan defeated Marin Cilic, who was last year's runner-up, in a 4-set match that ended 6-1, 2-6, 6-2, and 7-5.

Organizers of the Australian Open have decided to make the tournament last for 15 days this year. The main reason for this decision was to prevent matches from ending too late, and as a result, the tournament will start on a Sunday for the first time ever.