Novak Djokovic crashing out of Australian Open is our bold Day 6 prediction
Predicting a Novak Djokovic defeat in a Grand Slam tournament has generally ended in disappointment, but the game’s ultimate winner will be under huge threat when he takes on Czechia’s Tomas Machac on Friday.
Djokovic has found a way to get through his first two matches at this year’s Australian Open, with Andy Murray’s presence in his coaching box adding a layer of intrigue to his progress in Melbourne.
The Serbian great set another grand slam record as he battled through to the third round match against Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria as it was his 430th match at a Grand Slam, taking him past the mark previously held by Roger Federer.
He is also eyeing up a 25th Grand Slam title, as he looks to move ahead of the all-time record he currently shares with Margaret Court and become the most successful tennis player of all-time in the tournaments that define a legacy.
Yet he is coming up against a nightmare opponent in his next match and Machac will not be intimidated by the legend he is facing.
Machac comprehensively beat an out-of-sorts Djokovic on a clay court in Geneva last May and in their other previous meeting, he pushed the then world No 1 to a third set tie-break in a thrilling contest in Dubai.
“I didn’t have a great night, and today was difficult,” Djokovic admitted after the loss against Machac in Geneva.
“I had horrible feelings during the first part of the match. I don’t want to take any credit away from Tomas, who deserved his victory, but I don’t know what to think of this match. I prefer to forget it.”
The Czechia player will be looking to get to the fourth round of the Australian Open for the first time in his career and while he will be an outsider in this match, his brand of tennis will troubled Djokovic.
“I’m not going to reveal my game plan,” said Machac ahead of his third meeting with Djokovic.
“My strategy is secret and you can never underestimate a legend like Novak. He is one of the best players of all time and must always be respected.
“I’ll try to play in the best possible way and take my chances, then we’ll see what happens. I will try to enjoy every moment.”
Why are we making this bold prediction that Machac can beat Djokovic on a Rod Laver Arena that has seen the greatest player of all-time win 10 of his 24 major titles?
The harsh reality appears to be that at the age of 37, Djokovic has finally lost his aura of invincibility and his first two matches at the Australian Open did little to rebuild it.
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Djokovic looked edgy at times in his 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win against teenager debutant Nishesh Basavareddy in round one, with the win against Faria also including dips in his levels that we didn’t see when he was a winning machine.
The challenge of taking on Djokovic over a best-of-five-set match was always that his average level of performance was better than anyone else and if an opponent dipped below their very best, the Serbian would pounce.
That superpower has waned as Djokovic is struggling to maintain his exceptional levels for a full match and he is aware that Machac will present him with a big challenge.
Djokovic’s dip in motivation levels was at the heart of his defeat against Machac last year and assuming that won’t be an issue in a Grand Slam event, he will head into this match confident of success.
Yet the most prolific Australian Open champion of all time is playing in the last chance saloon of his career and if he loses against Machac on a court he has made his own, it could be the beginning of the end of his remarkable career.
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