Djokovic Stunned at Australian Open

By ESPN

Arguably the greatest Australian Open champion in the 105 years of the event, Novak Djokovic was stunned Thursday on Rod Laver Arena.

The world No. 2 fell to wild-card Denis Istomin 7-6 (8), 5-7, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 in the second round of the year's first major.

Djokovic, looking to become the first seven-time winner Down Under, was out of sorts from the outset. Fifteen minutes after the first ball was struck, he found himself still fighting for the opening game. It finally ended when Djokovic struck two unreturnable serves, ending the 24-point game.

It was downhill from there. Djokovic failed to rattle his opponent, the 117th-ranked player from Uzbekistan.

"All the credit to Denis for playing amazing," Djokovic said afterward. "He deserved to win. No doubt, he was a better player in the clutch moments."

The final match time: 4 hours, 48 minutes. Afterward, Istomin was deliriously contrite.

"First of all, I feel sorry for Novak. I was playing so good today," Istomin said in his on-court interview. "I mean, I surprise myself also today."

Istomin, who defeated a top-10 player for only the second time in his career (David Ferrer, 2012) and needed to win the Asia/Pacific wild-card playoff in Zhuhai, China, merely to reach the main draw, almost sounded subdued after Thursday's shocking win.

"So much emotion on my mind," he said haltingly. "I cannot hold it."

The first set alone lasted 1 hour, 25 minutes, including a 13-minute teetering tiebreaker that Istomin won when Djokovic's errant forehand sailed well past the baseline. Miscues were commonplace for Djokovic (72 unforced errors in all), as were missteps.

At 2-1 in the second set, Djokovic raced across the court at full speed and landed awkwardly. Immediately, he grabbed his left leg and bent over in pain. Djokovic called for the trainer then took a few minutes to stretch on the changeover chair.

The shocking nature of this match wasn't completely unexpected. Djokovic learned firsthand how rapidly the trajectory of a professional career can change, when his summer swing went south. After completing the career Slam at the French Open in June, Djokovic, who had a commanding lead in the rankings, began to labor.

It started with a startling loss to Sam Querrey in the third round of Wimbledon and was followed by a first-round setback against Juan Martin del Potro at the Rio Olympics. Although Djokovic reached the final of both the US Open and the ATP World Tour Finals, he fell in both, the latter costing him the year-end No. 1 ranking.

Williams Emerges Unscathed

Being perhaps the greatest women's tennis player ever does not immunize you against bad draws.

For the second straight round, No. 2-seeded Serena Williams drew a former top-10 player, onetime world No. 5 Lucie Safarova. And for the second time, Williams emerged unscathed in a straight-sets victory.

The routine 6-3, 6-4 outing Thursday night at Rod Laver Arena sent the six-time Australian Open champion bounding into the third round.

"The last time we played was actually in the final of a Grand Slam," Serena said afterward, referring to the 2015 French Open final she won in three sets. "I'm really happy to have gotten through that.

"Definitely played two really tough opponents. It's a great way to start the tournament, but it's not going to get any easier."

According to the rankings, it is. Williams next faces 23-year-old Californian Nicole Gibbs, who earlier defeated fellow American Irina Falconi 6-4, 6-1. Williams and the No. 92-ranked Gibbs met once previously, with the 22-time Grand Slam champion surrendering only three games.

Williams said the early challenges in her draw could play dividends through the tournament.

"At the end of the day, when I play players like [Belinda] Bencic and Safarova, they force me to play better. It forces my game from the very first day to be at a high level. So I think it's actually good," Williams said. "You know, I needed something to start really fast. I'm not going to complain about it."

Williams had one display of nerves Thursday: a double-fault on her second match point. She swiftly cashed in on the third.