Fans at the Australian Open were treated to a sensational opening Sunday as Novak Djokovic faced off against qualifier Dino Prizmic. In a hard-fought battle, the defending champion emerged victorious with a score of 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4, moving one step closer to his 11th Australian Open trophy. However, the story of the match was the impressive debut of the young Croatian, Prizmic, who pushed his idol to the brink and managed to save six match points before finally falling.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic and qualifier Dino Prizmic did not disappoint the crowd on the Australian Open’s opening Sunday as both players made the first-round match a sensational one. Djokovic eventually fought hard to make a winning start to his bid for a record-extending 11th Australian Open title with a 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 victory over Prizmic, but not before the #NextGenATP Croatian made an impressive debut on the Grand Slam stage. Prizmic who faced his childhood idol on his debut appearance saved six match points before Djokovic secured victory.
Making his first-ever major main-draw appearance, 18-year-old Prizmic stood toe-to-toe with the 24-time Grand Slam winner. The contest stretched over four hours and one minute, marking the longest first-round encounter Djokovic has ever played. The world No. 178 displayed remarkable tenacity, particularly in the second and third sets, where he managed to secure a break and lead the Serbian 3-2.
After a dominant first set by Djokovic, few expected such a competitive struggle. But Prizmic shifted the momentum in the second set, breaking the top seed to take a 3-1 lead and showing nerves of steel to win the tie-break. This set the stage for a gripping third set; although Djokovic eventually won it by taking four straight games, he only did so after Prizmic had fought back from 0-2 down to secure a double break.
Even in the fourth set, when the 36-year-old Serbian seemed to have the match locked away with a 4-0 lead, Prizmic refused to give up. The energetic teenager broke back and saved four more match points in the ninth game, forcing Djokovic to serve one last time to clinch the win. This grueling match surpassed Djokovic's previous first-round record of three hours and 57 minutes, set against Gael Monfils at the 2005 US Open.
Following the match, Djokovic was full of praise for his young opponent, stating that Prizmic deserved every bit of credit for his performance. He highlighted the teenager's maturity and resilience, noting that the match could have easily gone the other way given how Prizmic fought back from being down 0-4 in the fourth. 'He really made me work for it tonight,' the Serbian admitted. Djokovic now moves on to the second round, where he will face either Marc Polmans or Alexei Popyrin.