Novak Djokovic has set the record straight by jetting into the third round of the Australian Open tournament after defeating Jaime Faria in Melbourne. The Serbian surpassed former world No.1 Roger Federer’s record for the most major singles matches played. Djokovic expressed enthusiasm for his latest accomplishment and love for tennis.
The 37-year-old tennis great shared his love for the competition. He gives his best every single time. Djokovic has been competing in Grand Slams at the highest level for over 20 years now. He shared that whenever he wins or loses, he will always leave his heart out of the court. The Serb set a new record while contesting his 430th match at the Grand Slam level, silencing the G.O.A.T. debate once and for all.
Djokovic believes Grand Slams are the most important tournament in the world of tennis. “It has been over 130 years of existence of this incredible event, and I’m just blessed to be making another record.” He has emerged as the first man over the age of 30 to bag 150 Grand Slam singles wins.
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Novak Djokovic Says Jaime Faria is Tough
However, it wasn’t an easy match for Novak Djokovic. He defeated 21-year-old Jaime Faria just by an inch 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-2. The tennis great said the Portuguese played lights-out tennis. Djokovic highlighted that towards the end of the second set, beginning of the third he had to weather the storm. He shared that the youngster practically served two first serves the entire match.
Djokovic said it’s not easy to play someone like Faria who doesn’t have anything to lose. “He’s a big guy, very young – so I told him at the net that the future is bright, he should keep going.” The Serb pointed out that it’s very tricky to play this kind of opponents, mentally to sustain that level.
He said one doesn’t know whether they are going to fold under the pressure of playing on the center court or they are actually going to go the different way. Djokovic said faced tough opponents in the first and second rounds, but he fed off their energy and played their game.
