Novak Djokovic lost a set but recovered to advance to the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday, making him the player with the highest number of Grand Slam singles matches, surpassing fellow legend Roger Federer.
The 37-year-old encountered tough opposition from fearless Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria before clinching victory with scores of 6-1 6-7(4) 6-3 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena, setting up a matchup against Czech 26th seed Tomas Machac.
This marked Djokovic’s 430th match at a Grand Slam, allowing him to take sole possession of the record for most singles matches played in the Open era, ahead of Federer (429) and Serena Williams (423).
No other player has participated in 400 or more matches.
Djokovic faced a challenge in the first round against American wild card Nishesh Basavareddy, who is ranked 107 and also took him to four sets.
Buoyed on by his new coach, Andy Murray, he quickly returned to form against the 125th-ranked Faria, hardly allowing the 21-year-old to make any impact.
Djokovic began the match with a service hold to love, then broke Faria’s serve to go up 3-1 when the Portuguese player hit a backhand long. He was clearly in his rhythm, securing another break for a 5-1 lead that led him to take the first set in 30 minutes.
Faria, who claimed his first Tour-level victory in the first round against Pavel Kotov, seemed to struggle to keep up with the experienced player.
Remarkably, he fought back in the second set as Djokovic’s frustrations became apparent, breaking serve twice to establish a 4-2 lead.
Faria faltered while serving for the second set at 5-3, getting broken to love as Djokovic produced a stunning crosscourt winner to come back into the match and take the set to a tiebreak where Faria made no mistake in winning with a well-executed drop shot and celebrating with clenched fists.
However, the seasoned Serbian recalibrated himself, and with the stadium roof closed due to rain, he flipped a switch to dominate the third set as Faria started to tire.
The Portuguese contender showed signs of fatigue as Djokovic’s poise and experience shone through, allowing him to cruise through the fourth set and stay on course for another title.
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
