Alex De Minaur defeated Novak Djokovic in the United Cup in Perth, as the famous Serbian appeared to be affected by a wrist ailment.
The Australian defeated Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday to win his first match against the 24-time grand slam champion and his first against the current world No. 1.
With Alex De Minaur’s victory, Djokovic’s amazing 43-match winning streak in Australian matches came to an end. His last defeat was in the 2018 Australian Open against Hyeon Chung.
After a rather nervous last game, the world No. 12 grabbed one break in each set and converted his fourth match point to serve for the victory.
Unknown for his serving abilities, the 25-year-old astonishingly won 33 of his 34 first serve points (97%) and avoided a break point throughout the match against the best returner in the game.
Throughout the match, Djokovic appeared uneasy and was disturbed by the same wrist ailment that had plagued him during his three-set victory over Jiri Lehecka the day before.
In the midst of his De Minaur game, the 36-year-old complained to the therapist that his wrist ailment was growing worse “the more I’m playing,” to which the physio oddly seemed to deny him treatment.
Fans of Djokovic must be concerned after learning that his knee gets worse when he plays, especially since the Australian Open begins on January 14. The current champion and ten-time Australian Open victor Djokovic.
De Minaur discussed the significance of defeating Djokovic after recording his greatest career victory. He also acknowledged that he had hoped the match would not be as awful as his crushing 2023 Australian Open defeat to the Serb.
“It really is very unique. Let’s face it: Novak is a terrific competitor, and his contributions to the sport are truly remarkable. It feels fantastic yet weird. In an on-court interview with Jim Courier, the Australian stated, “I’m happy to do it here in Perth and in Australia.”
I suppose things couldn’t be any worse. In the end, all it takes to defeat Novak is to simply go in there, give it your all, support yourself through thick and thin, and battle through to the very finish. It was my day, and I’m glad I managed to prevail. This one is quite significant.
