Djokovic: It was just one of those days
Novak Djokovic defended himself against accusations of lacking motivation after the 12-time grand slam champion crashed out of the Australian Open.
Djokovic fell victim to one of the greatest shocks in grand slam history as he lost 7-6 (10/8) 5-7 2-6 7-6 (7/5) 6-4 to Uzbek wildcard Denis Istomin.
The result leaves Andy Murray in pole position to claim his first title at Melbourne.
Djokovic did appear to lack intensity at times, laughing and joking with Istomin, and after a 16-minute opening game, telling his opponent “we may as well go straight to a tiebreak”.
“There was intensity, of course,” Djokovic said. “We played four-and-a-half hours.
“It’s just one of these days when you don’t feel that great on the court, don’t have much rhythm, and the player you’re playing against is feeling the ball very well. “That’s sport.” Istomin next meets 30th seed Pablo Carreno Busta, and he said: “It is unreal. If somebody said I would beat Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open, I would say, ‘are you crazy or what?’ Especially in five sets, for sure.”
Britain’s Johanna Konta outgunned Japanese 19-yearold Naomi Osaka 6-4 6-2 in the women’s singles as she looks to better last year’s march to the semi-finals.
Konta’s status as a genuine contender to win the first grand slam of the year is credit, in part, to her mental resilience, which was in evidence again in the pressure moments against Osaka. “I’m very happy to have come through that,” Konta said. “Naomi is obviously a great server and a big ball striker.”
Caroline Wozniacki will be Konta’s next opponent.
Heather Watson endured a painful 2-6 7-6 10-8 defeat to American qualifier Jennifer Brady.