Novak Djokovic has progressed to round three of the Australian Open with a four-set victory over the Portuguese prodigy Jaime Faria.
The Serbian legend was made to work for his latest victory at the Australian Open. He came through 6-1, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 to set up a date with Tomas Machac which will take place on Friday.
Djokovic is being coached by Andy Murray for the first time in Melbourne. He was looking a little uneasy in the second set as the Portuguese player featuring in a Grand Slam for the first time settled down and started enjoying himself.
His efforts were soon tempered by Djokovic who regained the initiative in set three. However, this was a stunning display from a player who is going to be around professional tennis for a long time.
What Novak Djokovic told Jaime Faria after Australian Open debut
There was a nice moment at the end of the match after Djokovic has reached the third round for a sixth successive time when he’s played at the Australian Open.
The pair met to do the usual handshake at the net and Faria was given a message by the 24-time Grand Slam winner before he packed his racket away and looked ahead to the next tournament.
Speaking on the court afterwards, Djokovic said: “Yesterday Medvedev played five sets, he was two sets to one down and in the wise words of Mr Daniil Medvedev, if the future generation plays this way they are going to have everything. Money, girls, casino, I just loved that statement I have to say.
“He was playing lights-out tennis. It was the end of the second set and the beginning of the third where I had to weather the storm. He was practically serving two first serves at the beginning of the match.
“It’s not easy to play someone like that who doesn’t have anything to lose. He is a big guy. Very young, I think, 20, 21-years-old. So I told him at the net the future is bright for him and he should keep going.”
Faria can become future star and Djokovic praise will give him confidence
It’s never easy to play in a Grand Slam for the first time. After getting a taste of the tournament against Pavel Kotov in round one, Faria was then handed the thankless task of facing Djokovic.
Much like Nishesh Basavareddy in round one, Faria can take a lot from facing Djokovic. He gave it everything but the challenge for all fo these younger players is to get used to doing it across five sets.
At 21-years-old, the future looks extremely bright for Faria. As the world number 124, the player will hope to make waves at the other Grand Slam tournaments this year and it will be great to see what he can learn from the Australian Open.
Djokovic will probably face a first real test against Machac. It’s hard to back against the player who has won so much but after facing two new kids on the block, the Serb will now face bigger challenges if he’s to claim a 25th Grand Slam title.
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