In the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic advanced to the third round by defeating Alexei Popyrin, the hometown favorite, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-3. In an attempt to win an unprecedented 25th grand slam singles title, the world No. 1 battled both his rival and the Rod Laver Arena fans to set up a match against 30th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina. But in two bouts, he has now played for more than seven hours.

In order to advance to the third round of the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic had to put in a lot of effort for the second straight set against Alexei Popyrin, the home favorite.
Despite having the majority of the Rod Laver Crowd working against him, the world No. 1 prevailed 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-3, securing a match against 30th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina.
Once more, Djokovic—who is trying to become the first player to win 25 grand slam singles titles—was spotted stretching out a wrist problem on a frequent basis, though he did not need medical attention.
Popyrin put up a strong fight, helped along by the spectators behind him, but Djokovic managed to advance even if at times he appeared exhausted.
But after defeating Dino Prizmic in four hours on the first day, he has now played for a total of over seven hours.
In the first set, Nick Kyrgios on Eurosport and Discovery+ commentary stated that Djokovic's aura was enough to put opponents under strain. Popyrin faced break points in the fourth and sixth games.
In the seventh game, he finally made the breakthrough he was looking for. At 15-40, Djokovic displayed remarkable athleticism to withstand Popyrin's strong striking and sprint towards the net to finish with a victory.

Kyrgios exclaimed, "Wow, Nole, calm down." The greatest defender ever? Possibly. 36? More like 26.
Djokovic easily closed out the set, taking the first set in 39 minutes with a double-handed backhand down the line that proved to be too much for Popyrin.
For world No. 1, everything was going according to plan, but at the beginning of the second set, he appeared dissatisfied.
In the fourth game, Djokovic floated a forehand that sailed long, giving Popyrin two break opportunities, which the Australian took full advantage of. He matched Djokovic's pace this time, punishing a drop shot with a countermove on the angle at the net that created the opportunity for a simple putaway.
The home team was locked in, and Rod Laver Arena's audience was reacting strongly.
Djokovic had been dealing with a wrist ailment heading into the competition, and he's also mentioned feeling under the weather this week. Kyrgios questioned if that was making a difference, asking, "When was the last time we saw this many forehand errors?"
Popyrin was put under duress right away while serving for the set at 5-3 and was 0-40 down. Two breakback points were saved by the 24-year-old, but Djokovic took advantage of the last chance to return to service.
However, Popyrin made a strong comeback, and Djokovic offered him a chance to break again right away with a ball into the net. With an ace, he survived the opening break chance, but Popyrin delivered an incredible lob to win the set 6-4. The audience went wild as he pointed to his ear.

With Popyrin playing at the peak of his abilities and obviously driven by adrenaline, the opening of the third set was of the highest caliber. To even the score at 2-2, Djokovic produced his first love serve game in nearly two sets, as Kyrgios noted in his commentary.
Kyrgios acknowledges that his initial victories over Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer were a "gift and curse."
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The trainer was summoned onto the court to evaluate and treat Popyrin, who appeared to be having trouble with a left calf issue, while the game was on serve at 3-2.
Back on the court, the Australian appeared to be in a pretty relaxed mood, while Djokovic appeared to be lacking in energy. The Serbian was down 5-4 but rallied to win all three set points to tie the match at 5-5.


Kyrgios called the third set tie break the biggest of Popyrin's career, and it was to be decided by a tie break. To trail 3-2, he mishandled a crazy attempt at a winner on one of his serves, and Djokovic responded with a terrific winner down the line to seal the victory.
He accepted the opening serve to take a two-set lead after saving set points in the tenth game.

Near the beginning of the fourth set, Djokovic got into a heated argument with a spectator, but it seemed to energize the 36-year-old. In the sixth game, he broke Popyrin to go ahead 4-2.
Kyrgios remarked, "He looks like a different player," as Djokovic appeared to be winning now. He turned to the offending section in the crowd and celebrated passionately as he closed out the match by winning the fourth set 6-3.