World No1 Novak Djokovic says it was like “playing myself in the mirror” after he beat teenage qualifier Dino Prizmic in the first round of the Australian Open.
The Serbian — who is chasing an 11th men’s title in Melbourne — won 6-2, 6-7, (5-7), 6-3, 6-4 in a match that lasted over four hours.
Croat Prizmic managed to save six match points before the 36-year-old broke through to secure victory and advance.
Djokovic said: “[He has] so much potential. He has everything that he needs and can still improve.
“The way he is mentally present on the court, I like it a lot. He never gives up.
“I felt like I was playing [against] myself in the mirror. He has no weaknesses, really.
“He deserves all the applause. He is an amazing player, he handled himself incredibly well on the court. This is his moment.
“It could easily have been his match as well. He showed great mentality and resilience.
“I certainly want to be in his corner. So hopefully he will invite me because he will make some big things in his career that’s for sure.”
It was Djokovic’s longest first-round Grand Slam match, surpassing his previous three-hour-57-minute encounter against Gael Monfils at the US Open in 2005.
Elsewhere, No5 seed Andrey Rublev survived a scare against Thiago Seyboth Wild to win in a five-set thriller and the United States’ Taylor Fritz also had to come through five sets, fighting back from 2-1 down to beat Argentine Facundo Diaz Acosta 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.
