Jan. 3 (UPI) — Alex de Minaur beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets Wednesday at the United Cup, handing the Serbian his first loss in Australia in six years. Djokovic cited a wrist injury after the setback in Perth.
“Congrats to de Minaur,” Djokovic told reporters at a news conference. “He was very solid from the beginning. He played a great match and deserved to win. I was not on my level.
“It was one of those days where you don’t play your best on the court and your opponent played very well.”
De Minaur won the quarterfinal match 6-4, 6-4. Fellow Australian Ajla Tomljanovic also beat Natalija Kostic 6-1, 6-1 for a 2-0 win over the Serbians. The victories led the Australians to the semifinals.
De Minaur, the No. 12 player in the ATP Tour singles rankings, now owns a 1-1 career record against the top-ranked Djokovic.
“It feels amazing,” de Minaur said. “It’s hard to put into words. It’s a very good feeling. Everything that could have gone well, went well. I’m happy I can say I got a win over the G.O.A.T.”
Djokovic’s last loss in Australia was Jan. 18, 2018, at that year’s Australian Open. The 36-year-old, who was hampered by an elbow injury at the time, lost that match in straight sets in that match against South Korean Chung Hyeon.
He went on to win his next 43-consecutive matches in Australia, a run including four Australian Open singles titles.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion said his right wrist injury impacted his serve and forehand returns in Wednesday’s loss. He had the wrist worked on by a trainer during the match.
The Serbian said he has enough time to “get in shape” for the Australian Open. The first Grand Slam event of the season will be held Jan. 15 to 28 in Melbourne.
