Novak Djokovic upset by Denis Istomin in Australian Open stunner
MELBOURNE — There will be no record seventh Australian Open title for two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic, at least not this year.
In one of the biggest upsets to ever reverberate through the grounds of Melbourne Park, 117th-ranked Denis Istomin, the pride of Uzbekistan, shipped Djokovic to the exit in a shocking 7-6 (8) 5-7, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 win.
It wasn’t an easy feat for Istomin considering that until recently Djokovic was the longtime No. 1 player in the world and is in possession of six Australian Open titles amongst his 12 overall Grand Slam trophy collection.
When Djokovic sailed a return long on Istomin’s first match point after 4 hours, 48 minutes of play, Istomin screeched out in delight.
“First of all I feel sorry for Novak because I was playing so good today,” Istomin told the fans. “There’s so much emotion on my mind I can’t hold it. Now I feel I can play with these guys.”
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It was the best win of the 30-year-old Istomin’s career, a match that showed he can hold his nerves and is capable of challenging the greats. Prior to taking down Djokovic, Istomin had only once in 33 previous matches scored a victory over a top 10 opponent— that happened against then No. 5 David Ferrer at the 2012 Indian Wells tournament. Until Thursday, Istomin was 0-10 against Top 10 players at Grand Slams.
This wasn’t Istomin’s first encounter with Djokovic. They played five times before with two of those meetings happening here at the Australian Open, and Istomin only won one of 13 sets.
“Him playing this well, I mean, it’s amazing,” Djokovic said. “He played obviously above his level. You got to give him credit for that. Many things came together for him today. He’s a well-deserved winner.
“In the game of tennis, one guy beats another guy,” Djokovic added. “I take my bags and I go home.”
Bedecked with iridescent yellow safety eyeglass wear that dominated his looks, Istomin is coached by his mother, Klaudiya Istomina, which comes with more benefits than just the familiarity of a family member.
“When your family is part of your team, it’s great,” Istomin said, then jokingly added, “also the good thing is that I don’t need to pay the coach extra.”
Istomin credits his mother with urging him back into the game after breaking his leg in a serious car accident in 2001. The doctor said he wasn’t sure he’d be able to play again at the professional level, but Istomin proved that prediction to be false.
If the loss spoke volumes about Novak Djokovic it was that he still needs to shore up his game if he’s going to put an end to his struggling times, which began right after he won his last Grand Slam title — a first career French Open trophy last June.
It appeared he might’ve turned the corner with a three-set win against No. 1 Andy Murray two weeks ago in the Doha final, but the momentum didn’t continue here at the Australian Open.
This marked his first Grand Slam second-round defeat since 2008 Wimbledon when as the third seed he went out in straight-sets to a 75th-ranked Marat Safin, who until Istomin on Thursday was the lowest ranked opponent to beat Djokovic at a major.
In the last seven years, Djokovic’s only allowed one other player ranked outside the top 100 to score an upset over him. That player was the 145th-ranked Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 U.S. Open champion, who defeated Djokovic in the opening round of the Olympic Games in Rio last summer.
Istomin played lights out tennis and never got discouraged no matter what befell him in the match.
The opening game was clearly a precursor for what came to pass in the marathon battle. Djokovic saved six break points and needed 16 minutes to nail down that early 1-0 lead.
The Uzbek native, who lives in Moscow, had two set points to go up by two-sets-to-love, but didn’t fold when Djokovic won that set. He didn’t back down when Djokovic had a two-sets-to-one lead either. He just kept up the momentum and waited for the tide to turn in his favor.
“I don’t think it was physical,” Djokovic said. “We both looked okay. After four-and-a-half hours, we didn’t seem to be tired. Of course, four-and-a-half hours is not easy on the body.”
When Istomin finally showed up to talk about his great win, he indicated he was feeling tired.
“To beat Novak in five set, it’s a great win,” he said. “I still feel tired a little bit. I didn’t expect what I’m doing now and what I did on the court.
“For me, it was impossible to think about that I can hold it five sets with Novak, physically and mentally,” he added.
The numbers from the match provide a curiosity and an example that statistics don’t always tell the accurate story. It was Djokovic who won more points in the encounter with 193 to 186 for Istomin. Djokovic also scored more winners with 68 to 63. But the Serb also faltered more often to the tune of 72 unforced errors to 61 for Istomin.
At this point in the tournament, Djokovic had hoped to be on course in his quest for a record seventh Australian Open title. For now, he remains tied with Australian Roy Emerson, who won his titles here in 1961, and then from 1963 through 1967.
Instead it will be an unexpected Istomin who will be contesting against 30th seed Pable Carrena Busta of Spain for placement in the fourth round.
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