Uzbeki underdog’s mum doubles up as his coach

When Denis Istomin walked off court after beating Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open – without a doubt the biggest win of his career – his mother had just two words for him: “Good job.”

There’s a reason she’s probably more measured than most mothers would be: she doubles as his coach.

It’s an unusual arrangement, to be sure, but one that works well for the Uzbek player with the neon green glasses and droll sense of humour. He said he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“When your family is part of your team, it’s great. I was lucky that my mother is coaching me,” he said, before adding with a smile, “The [other] good thing that I don’t need to pay the coach extra, you know. Everything to my mother.”

Klaudiya Istomina might be due a raise after her son’s stunning win over Djokovic in the second round.

Not only was Istomin’s record 1-33 in his previous matches against top-10 players (the only win coming against David Ferrer at Indian Wells in 2012), he was also ranked a lowly No 117 after a demoralising year punctuated by frequent losses.

His ranking was so low, in fact, the 30-year-old Istomin had to win a special Asian wild card tournament just to gain entry to the tournament.

He was realistic when asked what he would have thought if someone told him before the tournament that he would beat Djokovic, a sixtime champion here.

“I would say, ‘Are you crazy or what?”’ he said, laughing. “For me, (it) was impossible to think about that I can hold it five sets with Novak, physically and mentally.”