Novak Djokovic loses to Alex de Minaur in United Cup quarters

Novak Djokovic loses to Alex de Minaur in United Cup quarters

Australia’s Perth — In a startling 6-4 6-4 loss to Alex de Minaur, Novak Djokovic suffered his first defeat of the season and his first in Australia in six years.

Minaur’s victory set up Australia to upset Serbia 2-0 in their United Cup quarterfinal on Wednesday.

Due to a wrist injury, Djokovic was unable to fully participate in Serbia’s triumph over the Czech Republic on Tuesday. Before earning a late break and winning the opening set,

the world No. 1 had his wrist examined once more by a trainer.

Djokovic, who had recently lost to Chung Hyeon in the fourth round of the 2018 tournament due to an elbow injury, was riding high in Australia, having won 43 straight matches and was ready to vie for an 11th Melbourne Park title.

World No. 12 De Minaur, who defeated world No. 1 after winning 33 out of 34 points behind his opening serve, described the match as “very special.”

“Novak is a terrific competitor, and his contributions to the sport are truly remarkable. I’m glad to be doing it here in Perth, Australia; it feels fantastic and surreal.

“In the end, all you have to do to defeat Novak is go out there, try to have fun, have faith in yourself, and fight through to the very end. It was my day today. I’m glad I managed to secure the victory. This one is quite significant.”

De Minaur, who defeated Daniil Medvedev in the 2022 US Open to become the first Australian player to upset a world no. 1 player, will represent his country at the Australian Open, which gets underway on January 14.

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