Incredible statistic stands out as Alex de Minaur beats Novak Djokovic for the first time
Alex de Minaur pulled off the biggest rankings win of his career as he beat Novak Djokovic in the United Cup – and he delivered a truly incredible statistic against a player widely respected as the greatest returner of serve the game has ever seen.
Djokovic lost 6-4 6-4 to world No 12 de Minaur as Australia beat Serbia in the mixed team event to progress to the next stage of the competition.
While Djokovic was below his best and struggled with an ongoing problem with his right wrist, twice requiring treatment from the physio, de Minaur was good enough to take advantage of the moment and secure his first win against a player ranked at No 1 in the world.
Amid his impressive performance, de Minaur delivered a truly remarkable statistic on his first serve, losing just one point against ace returner Djokovic over the course of the entire match.
He won every first service point in the first set and Djokovic only managed to win one point against the de Minaur first serve in the second set.
The victorious de Minaur got 69 per-cent of his first serves in play and hit seven aces in a match that lasted for one hour and 33 minutes, with the Aussie toasting a special moment in his career as he beat Djokovic in his second match against the 24-time Grand Slam-winning legend.
“When you go up against Novak you have to go out and enjoy it and back yourself and no matter what keep fighting until the end. Today was my day and I’m happy that I was able to get the win,” said de Minaur.
The emotional Aussie went on to suggest his win against Djokovic was driven by his desire to silence his doubters.
“It comes from a lot of people not believing in me,” said de Minaur.
“It’s extremely special. Novak is an unbelievable competitor. It feels surreal, it feels amazing. I’m happy to do it here in Perth and Australia.
“I’m just here to prove a lot of people wrong, trying to get better. Ultimately I’m never going to be the biggest or strongest guy, so I’ve got to adapt.
“I’ve got to show that I’ve got variety in my game and I’ve got different styles of playing tennis. I’m glad I was able to bring this level today.”
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The win against Djokovic was de Minaur’s 15th win against a top ten player, with his first coming against Kei Nishikori back in 2019, when he was No 7 in the world.
He has also recorded wins against Alexander Zverev, Cameron Norrie, Daniil Medvedev, Rafael Nadal, Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune while they were ranked in the top ten of the ATP list.
Now de Minaur will attempt to break into the top 10 of the ATP rankings for the first time in his own career, after he reached a career-high of No 11 in October last year.
If Australia win the United Cup and de Minaur continues to win his singles matches, he could break into the top ten of the ATP rankings for the first time as early as next week.
“You know, to get this kind of match under his belt before his home Grand Slam is really important,” said Australia’s United Cup captain Lleyton Hewett after he led his team to the semi-finals of the competition.
“It gives him the confidence. He’s been, yeah, working hard, working on small areas of his game as well, and it’s nice when it pays off.
“He’s got better and better with every match that he’s played here. His last two matches have been exceptional. That’s going to give him a lot of confidence going to Sydney, and then obviously he gets a chance to freshen up before the Australian Open.”
