Of the many compliments that can be paid to Dino Prizmic following his main draw debut at a grand slam, perhaps the biggest is that his performance was reminiscent of Novak Djokovic.
That is no bad thing at the best of times – and, as Prizmic demonstrated over the course of four absorbing hours at the Australian Open, it is particularly useful when you are actually facing Djokovic, especially in Rod Laver Arena, the scene of so many of the Serbian world No 1’s greatest triumphs.
To judge from the manner in which he matched his illustrious opponent throughout a valiant 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-4 defeat, that court may one day belong to Prizmic, an 18-year-old from Croatia with a big game and a big future.
“I will act like it is a normal match, not very stressed,” the teenager had promised after winning his final qualifying match against Tunisia’s Aziz Dougaz on Friday. “I just want to play, be relaxed and to give the best for me.”
Prizmic, schooled at the same club in Split where Goran Ivanisevic and Mario Ancic grew up, succeeded on all fronts. Time and again, Djokovic appeared to have the match won only to be hauled back by the blistering power, loose-limbed agility and withering intensity of a rival who never stopped believing.
Understandably anxious in the first set, where his 10 unforced errors included three double faults, Prizmic bounced back strongly in the second, holding his nerve to convert his fourth set point. Broken early in the third, the 178th-ranked Croatian regained the initiative with two consecutive breaks of his own. Even when Djokovic then responded by reeling off the next eight games, Prizmic hauled himself off the canvas again, saving four match points to move within a game of levelling. It was, Djokovic observed, like looking in a mirror.
“I had an amazing opponent tonight,” said Djokovic, sounding a little hoarse as he addressed the media afterwards. “For an 18-year-old, he played so maturely and confidently on the court, fighting through, not giving up even when he was four down in the fourth set.
“I’m impressed with his mentality, with his approach, with his game. I hear a lot of positive stories about his discipline, his dedication to everyday routines that are making him so physically strong already at 18 and successful. If he continues this way, he’s going to have a very bright career ahead of him.”
Djokovic, who admitted he has been feeling “a bit under the weather” over the past few days, will be grateful for the additional rest afforded by the tournament’s new Sunday start. At four hours and one minute, this was the longest opening-round match of his grand slam career. Yet he showed no sign of the wrist injury that hampered him at the recent United Cup, and an early test will only have sharpened his competitive instincts as he begins his quest for what would be an all-time record 25th grand slam title.
Prizmic, meanwhile, can take solace in becoming the second youngest player to win a set against the world No 1 at the Australian Open since the inception of the ATP rankings in 1973. Only Mexico’s Leonardo Lavalle, who was 22 days younger when he took a love set from Ivan Lendl in 1985, has caused a comparable stir against the title favourite. Prizmic’s performance left quite an impression on his childhood idol.
“It felt at some point I was playing myself in a mirror,” said the Serb. “I hear that he liked to watch me when he was growing up. He’s got an incredible defence, especially from the backhand side. Very all-around game.
“For an 18-year-old, I think I’m most impressed with his physical state. His legs are so super strong and so solid. Also, the mentality: he came out there not with a desire to just play a nice set or enjoy the experience, but rather to win. Kudos to him. It was impressive.”
There was a more comfortable start for Jannik Sinner, the fourth seed, who earlier defeated Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 7-5, 6-3. The odd shank aside, Sinner betrayed few signs of rust in his first match of the season, seizing the initiative with a break in the opening game before biding his time as the Dutchman raised his level in the second set. His opportunity came in the 11th game, where he capitalised on a spate of unforced errors from Van de Zandschulp to take a two-set lead. The Italian retrieved an early break in the third before sealing victory in two hours and 34 minutes.
“I had some moments where I made a couple of wrong choices, but this can happen,” said Sinner, who will face another Dutchman, the 148th-ranked Jesper de Jong, in round two. “Even if you made maybe some matches, this can happen. Maybe you are a little bit tired sometimes.
“The match feeling, it was important today for me, because I was looking forward to stepping on the court. I think it was a positive opening match.”
There was a tougher start for Andrey Rublev, Sinner’s projected quarter-final opponent, who weathered an impressive fightback from Brazil’s Thiago Seyboth Wild to scrape through 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (10-6) in Margaret Court Arena. Denied four match points at 5-6 in the decider, the Russian fifth seed recovered from 2-5 down in the tiebreak to seal victory in three hours and 42 minutes.
Rublev admitted that Seyboth Wild’s victory over Daniil Medvedev in the opening round of last year’s French Open preyed on his mind down the stretch.
“Almost all the fifth set, every game at least one or two times, I was thinking about what happened to Daniil,” said Rublev. “I was, inside, completely panicking. But still I was serving really well. The serve helped me a lot, because all [through] the fifth set he didn’t have any chances.”
Taylor Fritz, the American 12th seed, also survived a first-round scare, recovering from two sets to one down to defeat Facundo Diaz Acosta of Argentina. Fritz suffered an ankle injury that required treatment early in the second set, but bounced back to win 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. 6-4.
Matteo Berrettini, who was due to face Stefanos Tsitsipas in an eagerly anticipated clash of former grand slam finalists, has withdrawn from the tournament with a foot injury. The Italian will be replaced by Belgium’s Zizou Bergs, a lucky loser ranked 130.