Novak Djokovic is a well-liked man in Adelaide if his heat reception to centre court docket is any indication.
The 21-time grand slam champion was greeted with a raucous cheer from a close to full home at Memorial Drive for his opening singles match of the Adelaide Worldwide.
Djokovic’s first aggressive look Down Below since his 2021 Australian Open win got here on Monday, when he partnered Vaseline Pospisil within the doubles.
The pair had been consigned to a primary spherical exit however that didn’t cease followers piling onto shoe court docket 1 to sneak a peek of the world No. 5 in motion.
However the principle occasion is within the singles and Djokovic begins his Australian summer time at present, as he eyes a watch watering tenth Australian Open title.
BALL KID COPS NASTY BLOW
That’s gotta damage.
Tennis has the potential to throw up weird accidents, however nearly each man on the planet can sympathise with the ball boy on the Adelaide Worldwide on Monday night time.
The poor unsuspecting child copped a 208kmh serve from highly effective American Maxime Cressy straight to what seemed to be his groin space.
The ball was travelling so quick Aussie tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis did not get any racquet on the ace early within the second set and as a substitute the ball hit the younger boy.
The ballboy instantly winced in ache however after a short well being test from the linesman and a fist-bump with Kokkinakis, he powered on and stayed dedicated to his job.
Rusty Medvedev hoping shaky begin behind him
It was a rusty starting to Daniil Medvedev’s Aussie summer time with the back-to-back Australian Open runner-up pushed all the way in which by Italian Lorenzo Sonego within the opening spherical of the Adelaide Worldwide on Tuesday.
The Russian’s first aggressive minutes Down Below since his AO closing capitulation to Rafael Nadal had been shaky to say the least, with the world No. 7 pressured to stave off 9 Sonego set factors within the opener earlier than the Italian retired trailing 2-1 within the second.
Serving to remain within the opening set at 5-4, Medvedev’s baseline sport started to abandon him. The 2021 US Open champion misfired on a number of backhands and despatched a forehand crusing gone the baseline, gifting Sonego a number of alternatives to steal the opening set.
However the Italian was vulnerable to his personal unforced errors, notably on the internet, and Medvedev’s serve ultimately pulled him from the hearth to take the opening set in a tiebreak.
The script flipped within the second set with each gamers breaking serve, and Medvedev led 2-1 when Sonego referred to as for a medical timeout to obtain therapy on his proper forearm.
The world No. 45 was unable to proceed via the fourth sport of the set and was pressured to retire, bringing to a detailed an enthralling contest to open Tuesday’s proceedings.
Although not at his greatest in his 2023 debut, Medvedev was happy together with his resilience within the opening set to stave off 9 set factors, together with a fightback from 0-40 within the twelfth sport.
“I didn’t understand it was 9 that’s really loopy – possibly the primary time in my life I’ve saved 9 set factors,” he stated.
“What a match to begin the 12 months. Positively unlucky for everyone I believe that it completed early in a method, even when we performed one hour 40 (minutes) however blissful to be via, blissful to win the primary set which we performed to the top and naturally I want Lorenzo a speedy restoration.”
Medvedev’s win retains him on the right track for a blockbuster semi-final showdown with Novak Djokovic, in what can be a repeat of the 2021 Australian Open closing.
The Russian will first face one other Serbian within the second spherical, within the type of Miomir Kecmanovic, who knocked Aussie Chris O’Connell out of the event on Monday.
Djokovic is subsequent on centre court docket in Adelaide, up towards Frenchman Fixed Lestienne.
Medvedev painted himself as an on the spot villain finally 12 months’s AO after labelling a jeering crowd ‘low IQ’ following his second-round win over Nick Kyrgios.
Nevertheless, the Russian walked again the remark earlier this week, labelling it “silly”, and the Adelaide crowd provided him a heat welcome again to Australia.
Initially printed as Adelaide International: Follow the news and results from Adelaide here
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