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Novak Djokovic is sweating on a wrist injury ahead of his quest for a record-extending 11th Australian Open title. The Serb required extended treatment during a surprise 6-4 6-4 defeat to home favourite Alex de Minaur at the United Cup on Wednesday. With the first major of 2024 set to get underway on January 14, live on Eurosport and discovery+, Djokovic now faces a fitness battle.
Novak Djokovic struggled with a wrist injury as he slipped to a straight sets defeat to Alex de Minaur in the United Cup – his first defeat in Australia since 2018.
In the first rubber of the quarter-final between Australia and Serbia, it was De Minaur who edged the host nation ahead with his first victory over the 24-time Grand Slam champion, avenging his Australian Open defeat of last year, where he won just five games.
With the 2024 Australian Open set to kick off on January 14 live on discovery+, Djokovic now faces a race to be ready for his latest title defence.
De Minaur earned the biggest win of his career to date in one hour and 34 minutes to give Australia first blood in the tie, before Ajla Tomljanovic completed the victory with a resounding 6-1 6-1 win over Natalija Stevanovic.
The Australian won 33 of 34 points on his first-serve, asserting his authority through his accuracy. His service dominance was further highlighted by the fact that Djokovic did not have a single break point on the de Minaur serve, while the Aussie took two of his five break opportunities.
Djokovic had held well at 4-3 in the first set, but had treatment on his wrist at the following changeover, and then once more after De Minaur had earned himself a break at 4-5.
The Serb continued to have his wrist iced at the changing of ends and he withstood the pain to keep parity in the second.
De Minaur broke away in the seventh game before letting nerves get the better of him as he tried to serve it out, dropping all three of his match points from 40-0. But a shanked Djokovic backhand long on the following advantage saw the decibel level in the arena crank up as the home favourite celebrated a huge victory.
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“It’s extremely special,” De Minaur said afterwards. “Novak is an unbelievable competitor and what he’s done for the sport is pretty special. It feels surreal, it feels amazing. I’m happy to do it here in Perth and in Australia.
“[The defeat at the Australian Open] couldn’t get any worse, I guess. Ultimately, when you go out against Novak, you have to try and enjoy it, and back yourself no matter what, fighting until the end. Today was my day and I’m happy to get the win. This one definitely means a lot.
“It comes from a lot of people not believing in me. I’m here t
