NOVAK DJOKOVIC MAKES AUSTRALIAN OPEN STATEMENT AFTER ‘STRUGGLING PHYSICALLY’ IN DOMINANT WIN

Novak Djokovic made a statement at the 2025 Australian Open as he earned an impressively convincing third round win over the dangerous Tomas Machac.

The 37-year-old Serbian prevailed 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 against Machac after many had predicted the world No 25 would provide a very stern test for the tennis great.

Djokovic broke twice en route to winning the opening set in dominant fashion before falling 0-2 behind in the second as he started to struggle physically.

The world No 7 instantly broke back, though, after a medical timeout, and he turned the set around with a second successive break to take a 3-2 lead.

The 24-time major champion then broke the 24-year-old Czech again in the first game of the third set, and this proved decisive as he closed out the win with some strong serving.

Asked how he feels about his game after the strong display, Djokovic admitted he was “hot-heated” after his exchanges with fans in the crowd, who had tried to get under his skin.

“Very hot-headed right now, so I’ll try to give a very calm and diplomatic answer to that, but I think I played really well honestly. I’m very happy with my game,” Djokovic told Andrea Petkovic in his on-court interview.

“I was slightly surprised, to be honest, with the result, you know to beat him straight sets. He was a break up early in the second, I struggled physically there.

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“Just somehow managed to turn things around, hold my serve when I needed to, just a couple of points really decided that second set that could’ve gone his way, and maybe the outcome of the match would be different, but overall, I think in the third, I felt fresh, moved really well.

“Overall, really pleased with my game. Of course there’s always something to improve, always something to work on, but this is definitely the best match I’ve played in the tournament.”

Djokovic explained he had been out of breath in the second set and jokingly pointed to his age as the reason.

“Yeah, I was trying to catch the breath, you know, struggled. I’m not 19 anymore I guess, 19 times two almost (laughs). But look, you go through the different stages in a match,” he added.

Djokovic will face another talented Czech, Jiri Lehecka, in the last 16 at Melbourne Park as he continues his quest for an 11th Australian Open crown. It will be his second meeting with the world No 29, who he beat in three sets at the 2024 United Cup.

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2025-01-17T11:56:59Z