Defending champion Novak Djokovic entered the third round of Australian Open with a hard-fought victory on January 17 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. Djokovic defeated homeboy Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 to move ahead in year’s first grand slam. The Serb was made to work for this victory, especially in the third set which went on for nearly 75 minutes as it ended up in the tiebreaker.

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“I haven’t been playing my best,” Djokovic said after the game. “I’m still trying to find form. But, particularly in the early rounds, you face players who have nothing to lose really.” 

“They come out on centre court trying to play their best match.”

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“Both my first and second-round opponents were really quality tennis players. I managed to find a way to win in four, that’s what counts in the end. Hopefully I can find a way to build on this as the tournament progresses,” he added.

As of the game, the 10-time tournament winner won three break points out of 11 while his opponent won two out of seven. The Serb also managed to win 124 points in 23 games against Popyrin’s 106 in 18. Both the players won a maximum three games in a row while Djokovic led in points 8-6.

The 24 grand slam winner had the advantage with his serve, winning 87 points against the Aussie’s 74. Djokovic also won 19 service games while Popyrin just managed 16.

The Serbian, however, praised with his opponent thoroughly after game for putting up a great performance.

“I don’t think I played at the highest level. In some instances yes. But also credit to him for tactically serving at the right game plan and serving big. He deserves a big round of applause for the performance,” he said.

Djokovic next plays Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry on January 20.

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