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Tennis maestro Novak Djokovic made an emphatic entrance into the fourth round of the Australian Open 2024 by defeating Tomas Martin Etcheverry in Melbourne on Friday. Djokovic, who had encountered some difficulties in the second set of his previous two matches, experienced no such issues against the 30th seed Etcheverry, who had previously ousted Andy Murray in the opening round.
The top-seeded and 10-time Australian Open champion delivered a commanding performance against Tomas Martin Etcheverry, winning 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(2) in a display of superior skill at the Rod Laver Arena. Djokovic, who didn't face any break points, decisively overcame Etcheverry's late resistance in the third-set tie-break. Completing the match in two hours and 28 minutes, Djokovic marked his 100th Australian Open match with a convincing victory.
“It was a great match, I think. The best performance I had during this tournament,” said Djokovic in his on-court interview. “Obviously I’m pleased with the way I played throughout the entire match, particularly the first two sets.
“He stepped it up, raised his level of tennis probably one or two levels in the third set and we went toe-to-toe. In the tie-break I guess I just found the right shots, the right serves, and closed it out in straights.”
In his initial rounds at Melbourne, Novak Djokovic had to summon considerable determination to prevail in four sets against both Dino Prizmic and Alexei Popyrin. However, the 36-year-old showcased his skill against a potentially challenging adversary in the 30th-seeded Tomas Martin Etcheverry. The winner of 24 Grand Slam titles demonstrated his prowess by striking the ball cleanly from the baseline and creating angles to keep Etcheverry constantly on the move.
While Etcheverry had notable victories over Andy Murray and Gael Monfils in straight sets earlier in the week, he was unable to pose a significant challenge to Djokovic, who has now achieved 31 consecutive wins at this event. Djokovic particularly focused on exploiting Etcheverry’s backhand, applying pace and depth to dominate the rallies.
Djokovic achieved three breaks in the first two sets and displayed his characteristic composure in the tie-break to secure the third set. His precision in serving was evident throughout the match. Djokovic ended the game with impressive statistics, winning 86 percent (49/57) of the points on his first serve, and his performance included 10 aces and a total of 34 winners.
Securing his 31st straight victory at the Australian Open, Djokovic extended his flawless record in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series to 3-0 against Etcheverry, maintaining a streak of never having lost a set to him. Djokovic is now set for a fourth-round encounter at the hard-court major, where he will compete against either the 16th seed Ben Shelton or the 20th seed Adrian Mannarino.
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