14 January,2025 08:01 AM IST | Melbourne | AFP
Novak Djokovic celebrates a point yesterday; Carlos Alcaraz after his win yesterday; Jannik Sinner returns to Nicolas Jarry. Pics/Getty Images, AFP
Novak Djokovic survived a scare in his quest for tennis history before following Carlos Alcaraz and defending champion Jannik Sinner into the second round of the Australian Open on Monday.
On a blockbuster second day in Melbourne, Djokovic lost the first set to 107th-ranked American Nishesh Basavareddy in the prime-time evening match on Rod Laver Arena. But the Serbian great, hoping to roll back the years and win an 11th Australian Open and record 25th Grand Slam singles title, recovered to ease through 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
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In front of new coach and former rival Andy Murray, Djokovic struggled to raise a smile in the immediate aftermath. "At the end it was great, but I think he was the better player for a set and a half," he said.
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Italian World No. 1 Sinner was warmly welcomed on Rod Laver Arena before defeating Chile's Nicolas Jarry 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5), 6-1. Sinner is playing under a cloud after twice testing positive for traces of a steroid in March. He denies wrongdoing and was cleared by tennis authorities, but the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed and is seeking to ban him for up to two years. "I was curious to see how it was. You never know what's happening," he said about the reception. "I was happy about the crowd," added Sinner, who has not tasted defeat since losing to Alcaraz in the Beijing final in October.
Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion, but never a winner in Melbourne, had a couple of hairy moments before seeing off Kazakhstan's Alexander Shevchenko, 6-1, 7-5, 6-1. "This is a tournament I really want to win one day, hopefully this year," he said.
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