Novak Djokovic experienced a real ordeal at the start of the Australian Open, avoiding one of the biggest humiliations of his career, and with a 3:1 set victory defeated American Nišša Basavaredi in the second round – 4:6, 6:3, 6:4, 6:2!
The American, who turned professional just a month ago, is 19 years old and played unbelievable tennis for a set and a half. So good that Novak was facing a situation similar to 2005 and 2006 when, as an outsider at the beginning of his career, he was eliminated in the first round of the AO.
However, after almost three hours of battle, Novak secured a duel with Portuguese Jaime Faria who, quite unexpectedly, as the 125th ranked player in the world, defeated Pavel Kotov 3:0 in sets.
The key moment of the match was seen at the end of the second set. Novak was leading 4:3, then he converted his sixth break point, and Nišeš himself started limping. He complained of cramps, couldn’t do anything in the next game, and the score on the scoreboard was 1:1 in sets.
Previously, Basavaredi had served incredibly well, won some of those attractive points, and in the seventh game of the first set, he took Djokovic’s serve, which was enough for him to lead 1:0 in sets.
Interestingly, in 10 of his last 11 Grand Slam matches against players under 21, Novak has lost at least one set, and it all started with Denis Shapovalov in 2019. Only Shelton in 2023 didn’t take a set from him, while Alcaraz defeated him in the Wimbledon final the same year.
After the second set, Basavaredi requested a medical timeout, didn’t get it because it was a cramp, and a physiotherapist entered the court to get the American ready to continue. However, it was clear that he didn’t have that intensity, he was very cautious – which resulted in Novak’s break at the start of the third set, and then a 2:0 lead in games. With cramps, Nišeš also had problems with his left knee.
Every subsequent game of Novak’s in the third set was secure – until the last one! Basavaredi on the other hand wasn’t, but that start of the third set still decided the winner of the set.
However, it is worth mentioning that the American revived in the second half of the third set and in that 10th game had a 30:15 lead. He was one step away from possibly breaking back, but the scoreboard showed 6:4 for Novak.
Where he stopped in the third, Djokovic continued in the fourth set. He got two break chances right at the start, used the first one, led 2:0 and finished the job against the Grand Slam debutant. Let’s remind you, Basavaredi received a “wild card” for the AO.
Incidentally, during the match with Basavaredi, Novak also received great news regarding his draw as his toughest rival until the quarterfinals, where, according to projections, he could meet Carlos Alcaraz, was eliminated.
As for the continuation of the fourth set, Novak took another break in the 5th game. He led 4:1, although Basavaredi had a 40:0 lead in that game.
With great serves, he confirmed the break, led 5:1, and then finished the job for the next round – 6:2.
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“NOVAK WASN’T ALLOWED TO SEE AN ORTHODOX PRIEST”: Details emerge about Novak’s ordeal in Australia!
Source: Telegraf, Photo: AP