Djokovic on Prizmic: 'Felt I was playing myself in a mirror'

Novak Djokovic had more than four hours to familiarise himself with the game of Dino Prizmic on Sunday at the Australian Open.

The World No. 1 liked what he saw.

“I love the way he uses every inch of the court. He is comfortable coming in, he defends incredibly well,” said Djokovic in his on-court interview after beating the #NextGenATP Croatian in the longest first-round match of his career. “Just an amazing performance for someone who is 18 years old and never had an experience of playing on a big stage.

“Big kudos to him and his team, and I certainly want to be in his corner, so hopefully he will invite me because he is going to do some big things in his career.”

Djokovic maintained his perfect record against qualifiers at majors (25 wins out of 25) by holding off Prizmic across four sets inside Rod Laver Arena. Yet he was not completely taken by surprise at the level that his 18-year-old opponent produced on his Grand Slam main-draw debut.

“I had an amazing opponent tonight,” Djokovic later reflected in his post-match press conference. “For an 18-year-old, he played so maturely and confidently on the court, fighting through, not giving up even when he was four down in the fourth set. Impressed with his mentality, with his approach, with his game.

“I hear a lot of positive stories about his discipline, his dedication to everyday routines that are making him so physically strong already at 18 and successful. If he continues this way, he's going to have a very bright career ahead of him, no doubt.”

_{^{Dino Prizmic impressed in his Grand Slam debut against Novak Djokovic. Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images}}

Djokovic now holds a 90-8 record at the Australian Open, where he is this year bidding for a record-extending 11th title. The 36-year-old feels that his stellar record on the hard courts of Melbourne Park can sometimes affect his opponents, although that impact only goes so far.

“I think it's probably more helpful at the beginning [of a match],” said Djokovic. “As was the case today, he made some double faults in the first game. I broke his serve. You could see he was nervous. I think it helps at the beginning really to kind of make your presence even bigger on the court.

“When they're calling out the achievements and the scores and everything that you basically achieved at this tournament, I think it's impossible for players not to hear that, not to feel that, especially for a young player like him.

“I don't think that the achievements here really wins a match, but it does help at the beginning to maybe get off to a good start, which was the case. Again, it didn't win the match for me tonight.”

Despite his shaky start, Prizmic soon found his feet in his first match inside Rod Laver Arena. As the Croatian raised his level, Djokovic sensed a strange familiarity to his opponent’s game.

“I played one loose game in the second set. Handed him the break. I rebroke, but I could feel he's starting to feel more comfortable, he's not missing as much," said Djokovic. "There were some gruelling rallies, very physical games. Almost four hours for four sets. It felt at some point I was playing myself in a mirror already.

“I hear that he liked to watch me when he was growing up. He's got an incredible defence, especially from the backhand side. Very all-around game. Of course, he's got every shot in the game to improve. For an 18-year-old, I think I'm most impressed with his physical state. His legs are so super strong and so solid.

“Also the mentality. He came out there not with a desire to just play a nice set or enjoy the experience, but rather to win. Kudos to him. It was impressive.”