Novak Djokovic quells Alexei Popyrin, and Melbourne crowd, in four-set Australian Open thriller

In a match that was billed as “Novak Djokovic vs the Crowd”, the world No. 1 showed why he’s racked up 10 Australian Open titles as he escaped home hope Alexei Popyrin in four sets on Wednesday.

What began as a typical Djokovic hardcourt masterclass on Rod Laver Arena quickly became a battle as the Melbourne faithful willed on an inspired Popyrin—who won the second set and held four set points in the pivotal third set.

Djokovic denied him at every turn, and like in the first round against Dino Prizmic, the defending champion had to put in a clutch performance at a critical time to win 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 over three hours and 11 minutes.

“Again, another very close match that was decided in that third set, like the first round,” Djokovic said in a post-match interview. “He had the three set points. He had a sitting forehand that he missed in 30-40. Then I played a solid tiebreak.

“He dropped his level a bit. I felt it. Momentum shifted to my side. I broke his serve and held my serve until the end of the match.

“Can I be satisfied? I can be satisfied with the win. With my tennis, not so much.”

After a comfortable first set, the pressure began to increase as the Aussie broke serve twice on his way to taking the second—at one point, chair umpire Carlos Bernardes even had to ask the crowd to please “just calm down a little bit” between points.

But even as Rod Laver Arena began to resemble a pressure cooker, it was ultimately the intensity of having to remain toe-to-toe with Djokovic on the 10-time champion’s favorite court that made Popyrin blink first. Much like Carlos Alcaraz during their highly anticipated Roland Garros semifinal, the Aussie was struck by cramping as the match ticked past the two and a half hour mark.

Djokovic maintained his composure even as his worrying right wrist seemed to give him problems in the fourth set. As he stretched out his hand and shook out his wrist, he was met with heckles from the Melbourne crowd.

The Serbian had kept the fans’ support out of the equation for nearly all four sets, but that’s when they finally got a reaction out of Djokovic, who whipped around and told a member of the crowd, “Come and say that to my face.” Shortly after unloading on the heckler, the top seed reeled off three games in a row to close out the victory—and he aimed his celebration directly toward the crowd.

"Game-wise I was quite flat for some part of the match, end of second set, most of the third set," he told press afterward.

"Maybe that was needed, for me to be shaken up a bit and start to find the kind of intensity on the court that I needed to have all match."

Djokovic will take on Tomas Martin Etcheverry next, as he continues his quest for an all-time record breaking 25th Grand Slam title in Melbourne.