A Novak Djokovic strange, lethargic at many moments. Too much content. Everything was strange, except the outcome. In agony, feeling against the ropes, he awoke with no other remedy. He put his tennis in another gear, still below his usual level at the Australian Open, and achieved the goal, which was nothing more than to enter the third round, giving himself more days to continue on looking for a form he doesn’t have yet. quite found..
If because the season started moved by a loss against Alex de Minaur in the United Cup, the wrist discomfort, or the cold that he faces these days in Melbourne, where the sun also replaces the rainy hours, but this Djokovic does not have the usual spark.
Although his ability to give a radical turn to any kind of situation is already known. In the calculation of an event and also in the same match. The world number one, 36 years old, defeated the Australian Alexei Popyrin, 24 years old and world number 43, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4) and 6-3 in 3h.11′. There are 30 consecutive wins at this Grand Slam.
He solved the latter in the morning, after four hours spent before in front of Dino Prizmic in the opening round. He saved four set points in the third, leading the tenth game at 4-5 and 0-40. “I didn’t do anything special, I was lucky because he missed an easy forehand,” Djokovic analyzed.
He made it 5-5 with that special gift of not letting himself be buried, and was eventually reborn in the tiebreak, where he dominated with authority. He looked more like his old Djokovic, who even faced an audience. “Come, come here and tell me to my face”, said the tennis player, who began interacting more publicly, with his team. More gestures and screams, with no news for nearly two and a half hours.
A partial reaction, enough to qualify and meet, on Friday, the Argentine Tomas Martín Etcheverrywho surpassed the French Gael Monfils for a triple 6-4.
Djokovic, his voice still shaking, gave no clues in the court interview about what was going on. Admitting that he had many shortcomings, he praised the opponent’s level with many serves and good shots.
‘Nole’ seems to be no ‘Nole’, although nothing is more dangerous than surpassing himself. You have to overcome obstacles to strengthen yourself inside. It was worth the experience, to put on his work overalls and apply himself, but he has lost more sets in two matches than in the entire 2023 edition, when he gave up one.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
