© Getty Images Sport – Kelly Defina
Nick Kyrgios was seemingly very impressed with what he was seeing from Dino Prizmic against Novak Djokovic, stating that the 18-year-old “got game.”
Prizmic, ranked at No. 178 in the world, won three qualifying matches at Melbourne Park to earn his Grand Slam main draw debut. In his very first Grand Slam main draw match, Prizmic took on record 24-time Slam champion Djokovic.
Although Djokovic entered the match as the absolute favorite to beat Prizmic, the top-seeded Serb was made to work hard before clinching a 6-2 6-7 (5) 6-3 6-4 win.
Midway through the third set, Prizmic won a 16-minute fifth game to break Djokovic for a 3-2 lead. In the fifth set, Prizmic saved six match points before ultimately falling short to Djokovic.
“Prizmic got game,” Kyrgios wrote on X.
Prizmic got game
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) January 14, 2024
Kyrgios applauds Prizmic’s performance against Djokovic
There wasn’t anything particularly surprising at the start of the match as Djokovic routinely won the first set after breaking Prizmic in the first and seventh games.
After losing the first set, Prizmic broke Djokovic for the first time early in the second set for a 3-1 lead. But Prizmic’s lead was short-lived as the Croatian got broken back instantly in the fifth game. However, Prizmic was able to keep his focus and send the set into a tie-break, where he opened a 6-2 lead and earned four consecutive set points. Prizmic missed out on his first three set points but converted his fourth to tie the match to one set apiece.
At the start of the third set, Djokovic bounced back with an early 2-0 lead. But then, Prizmic responded with back-to-back breaks in the third and fifth games to open a 3-2 lead. Just when it seemed that the momentum was again shifting Prizmic’s side, Djokovic won the next eight games to win the third set and also open a 4-0 fourth-set lead.
Down by a set and two breaks, Prizmic refused to quit, getting one break back in the sixth game. In the ninth game, Djokovic had three consecutive match points – and later his fourth – but Prizmic saved them all. Serving for the match in the 10th game, Prizmic saved two more match points before Djokovic finally converted his seventh match point to complete a four-set win over the Croatian.
