Novak Djokovic had a terrible time on Wednesday to enter the third round of the Australian Open. The Serbian suffered greatly from the heat (over 30 degrees) and the sun that hit the Rod Laver Arena hard. The shadow covered the court in the fourth set and that saved the world number one, who he was not playing well, especially, and this is very strange, with the backhand. The serve (26 aces) also rescued Nole, as did the involuntary help of his rival, Frances Tiafoe, capable of the best and the worst in a great match. His blunders in important moments, especially in the tiebreaker of the third set, facilitated the long-suffering victory of Djokovic by 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (2) and 6-3.
“It was very tough because of the difficult conditions and the sun on the track. Frances had a great game and I congratulate him,” said Nole. “These types of matches are getting tougher as the rounds go by, it is not the first time that I have dealt with something like this. The break in the last set for that time warning to Tiafoe was unfortunate, because he didn't deserve it “, he affirmed in a fit of sportsmanship, referring to a decision of the chair umpire that marked the future of that sleeve, because the American had to play with a second serve in an equal 30 after arguing with the referee and off-centering.
“I feel very good here, like my living room, after having won so many games. This year is the fastest surface I have played here in 15 years”, explained Djokovic, who could not put the air conditioning as he would have done at home and that is why he suffered during much of the meeting. His face reflected a discomfort that Tiafoe took better, who needed to be a little less candid to take advantage of the moment of his opponent's slump.
Sins of youth
He played bravely and better on a backhand than Djokovic himself, but he made untouched laps, some rude double faults and sometimes mis-selected the zone by which to continue playing without realizing that there were other free and easier paths. That is why he is 64th in the world at 23 years old and is no higher despite his excellent physical and tennis conditions. The head loses him. Had he been clearer, Djokovic would have gone through a lot more trouble. But it was not like that and on Friday he will face another American, Opelka or Fritz.