Novak Djokovic admits feeling his age in four-hour win at Australian Open
Defending champion Novak Djokovic admitted he had been given a run for his money after coming through his longest Grand Slam first round match at the Australian Open.
Djokovic needed more than four hours to finally see off 18-year-old Croatian Dino Prizmic 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-4 and extend his winning run at Melbourne Park to 29 matches.
“He’s an amazing player, so mature for his age,” he said of Prizmic. “This is his moment and it could easily have been his match as well. He made me really run for my money.
“I’m double his age. Reality hits hard tonight. I struggled in many different moments, but he had an answer for everything. Now I have a couple of days, so hopefully I’ll be able to be at my best for the next match.”
Elsewhere on the first day of the Australian Open, men’s fifth seed Andrey Rublev needed a fifth-set tie-break to beat Brazil’s Thiago Seyboth Wild, but fourth seed Jannik Sinner won in straight sets against Botic van de Zandschulp.
Britain’s Jodie Burrage failed to build on a one-set lead as she lost to Tamara Korpatsch, whose fellow German Ella Seidel lasted just 53 minutes against women’s defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
Sabalenka will meet 16-year-old Brenda Fruhvirtova next after the Czech fought back to beat Romanian Ana Bogdan 2-6 6-4 6-3.
Five-time finalist Andy Murray was due to begin his Australian Open campaign in the early hours of Monday morning.
Fellow Britons Cameron Norrie, Emma Raducanu, Jack Draper, Katie Boulter and Dan Evans are due to play their first-round matches on Tuesday.