Novak Djokovic suffers defeat on day of shocks at Adelaide International 1
Novak Djokovic tuned up for his return to action in the singles at the Adelaide International 1 with a loss in doubles competition.
Djokovic teamed with Canadian journeyman Vasek Pospisil in a loss to the pairing of Tomislav Brkić and Gonzalo Escobar.
Pospisil and Djokovic took the opening set but after Brkić and Escobar fought back to level the match they also carried that momentum into the super tie-break.
Djokovic received a warm reception from the Adelaide crowd and took extra time to sign autographs after the doubles loss.
Following his loss in doubles, #Djokovic took his time with the fans. pic.twitter.com/lIetlHpMr1
— Saša Ozmo (@ozmo_sasa) January 2, 2023
The former World No 1 returns to ATP Tour singles action on Tuesday when he faces Frenchman Constant Lestienne in the Round of 32 at the Adelaide International 1.
The tournament has already lost a couple of its bigger names with
Felix Auger-Aliassime and Holger Rune suffering shock defeats.
Auger-Aliassime had his chances to get into his clash with Alexei Popyrin but ultimately went down 6-4, 7-6(5).
The first set was a ding-dong battle which went with serve for eight games before Auger-Aliassime faltered.
The Canadian fought back to lead 4-1 in the second set but couldn’t close it out and wound up losing the set and the match in a tiebreak.
“I feel like momentum plays a huge role on your confidence. For me, it’s been great in the last few months,” Auger-Aliassime told a press conference before his match against Popyrin.
“I try to recreate it, not just like think it’s some sort of stars aligned or some type of luck you’re just trying to ride a wave on. I think there’s reasons behind success.
“I feel like it’s about understanding why you’re succeeding constantly and trying to do it again.”
Popyrin was delighted to get the win in what was his first victory over a top ten player in a completed match.
“I’m pretty happy, it’s obviously an unbelievable feeling,” said Popyrin.
“I had a really, really tough season last year and to come out after qualifying and to beat a player of his quality just showed the work I did in the off-season is paying off already.”
Meanwhile, Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan also defeated Rune in the first round. Rune went down In two hours and seven minutes. The 27-year-old Nishioka came into Adelaide ranked at a career-high No 36 in the ATP Rankings, and he rebounded from dropping the first set to defeat the fifth seed 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. Next up Nishioka meets is American Mackenzie McDonald.
Rune, who was competing in just his second ATP 250 tournament was among those tipped for the title after a stellar 2022 season. In Paris, he won his first ATP Masters 1000 championship and broke into the top 10 of the ATP Rankings.
Miomir Kecmanovic beat Australian Christopher O’Connell 6-4, 6-4 to win his first match of the new year. In the second round, the Serbian might take on Daniil Medvedev provided the Russian can get past Lorenzo Sonego of Italy.
READ MORE: Will Novak Djokovic get a positive reaction from Australian fans?
