Novak Djokovic gained safe passage into the fourth round of the Australian Open earlier today, claiming a straight-sets win over Botic van de Zandschulp.
However, despite his impressive performance, the match was marred by a moment where the Serbian came dangerously close to being dumped out of the competition.
Despite being a set and a break up, his inability to add another break left him frustrated.
Novak Djokovic wildly lashed a ball towards the net, massively misjudging his strike. The ball came within inches of a ball boy, which would surely have resulted in his disqualification had it hit him.
He has since addressed that controversy in his post-match press conference.
Novak Djokovic reacts to nearly getting disqualified from the Australian Open
Asked if he felt lucky to still be in the tournament, Djokovic was instantly apologetic.
In fact, he revealed the conversation he had with the ball boy, noting: “Yeah, I apologised for that. That was not necessary and in the heat of the moment. Yeah, I was lucky there, and I’m sorry for causing any distress to the ball kid or anybody.”
Who has impressed you most so far at the Australian Open?
Djokovic avoiding disqualification could mark a huge flashpoint in this year’s Australian Open, given that he will remain one of the favourites for the title alongside Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Novak Djokovic says if he still gets nervous in Grand Slam matches
If he is to challenge the duo, energy conservation will be paramount.
Djokovic admitted that he’s trying not to think about that during the matches, although did concede that it will be crucial: “I try honestly not thinking about managing the energy on the court in terms of, you know, being economic or saving something for the later rounds, because it’s just I don’t feel that’s the right mindset.
“I think it’s important to get the most out of yourself on the given day to win against the opponent on that day. I try to do it as efficiently as possible, and I have won nine out of nine sets so far, so I couldn’t ask for more.”
He added: “Today I had a really good test. He was playing aggressive and well, and I think I was moving great. There’s always something that is happening with the body, but I think generally I feel as good as I have felt in a while.
“I cannot predict the future. I don’t know how things are going to unfold from this day onwards, but I’m doing everything I can. I haven’t practised yesterday, or between first, second round I had two days. One day I didn’t practice. The second I did. Then now I didn’t practice in between now the second and third round, because I’m obviously trying to be strategic, talking with my team to what’s more important, you know.”
Pat Cash reacts as Novak Djokovic nearly hits a ball boy with a ball
Naturally, the controversy caught the attention of various media outlets, with Pat Cash discussing the incident on BBC Radio 5 Live.
He too expressed how fortunate he felt Djokovic was, noting: “The ball was nearly slapped at a million miles per hour into the side hoarding, it skimmed past the ball kid. I don’t even think he knew the ball kid was there and that was three inches from getting defaulted. He would have been defaulted for sure.
“I don’t think he even thought about it, he slapped it into the net and because the ball was out, he wasn’t focused on where exactly he was hitting the ball.”
Who would win this legendary showdown?
Cash did offer Djokovic some praise for the win though, adding: “It was a bit of a fight and a scrap. It wasn’t the perfect tennis but Novak Djokovic has got through in straight sets again, so that’s impressive.
“Botic van de Zandschulp is a tricky player, he can produce some winners, you know you’re going to get some errors off that forehand side. Djokovic knew that but at one stage he wasn’t making those mistakes and it was causing Djokovic some problems.”
