Djokovic 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-2 Basavareddy
Novak Djokovic, who is searching for his 11th Australian Open title, speaking on court: “In the end, it was a great result. I think he was the better player for a set and a half, and he deserves every bit of the applause that he got when he was leaving the court. It was a great performance from him. To be really honest with you, I had never seen him play up to maybe three days ago so I didn’t know much about him.
“These kind of matches are always tricky and dangerous, especially when you’re playing against somebody who hasn’t got anything to lose with it being his first match ever at a Grand Slam level. He is a very complete player and he did very pleasantly surprise me with his shots and his fighting spirit towards the end. I wish him all the best for the rest of his career.”
On Nishesh Basavareddy’s WhatsApp profile picture being him: “I don’t know what to say to that, to be honest. I obviously try not to think about those particular things whilst I’m on the court, but I do appreciate the support and appreciation. He is a nice boy.
“He is a teenager still but he didn’t get carried away by the significance of the moment. It’s not easy stepping out onto the centre court for the first time and handling the nerves. He has handled himself really well so I’m sure we’ll see a lot of him in the future.”
On having Andy Murray as his coach: “I’m thrilled to have him in my corner. I must say that it’s a bit strange to have him courtside in my box. We played for over 20 years against each other at the highest level, so it’s nice to have him on my side of the net. He gave me some great advice during the match. It’s really nice to be able to exchange some feedback. It’s been a really nice experience, hopefully we don’t stop here.”
Ronnie Kelly had a goal chalked off as Pickering dominated the opening half-hour, but they were ultimately made to pay for not taking their chances.
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