Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic said that today's match of the first round of the Australian Open Championship against Nišes Basavaredi was not easy at all and that his rival in that match, despite the defeat, played brilliantly.
"His start was great, he was a better player than me for a set and a half. He hit hard, it was not easy for me at all, kudos to him for his performance. Matches like this are very difficult and problematic. He is a real competitor and I really was pleasantly surprised by his shots, sportsmanship and the way he played this match," said Djokovic after the match.
Djokovic advanced to the second round after defeating the 107th American player in the world, Nišes Basavaredi, in Melbourne after four sets, 4:6, 6:3, 6:4, 6:2.
The Serbian tennis player continued to praise his 19-year-old opponent.
"He's a wonderful guy, it's not easy to go out on the center court, play and fight with emotions. I hope we'll see a lot of him in the future," Djokovic added.
In the next round, Djokovic will play against the 125th tennis player in the world, Portuguese Jaime Faria, who defeated the 97th player in the world, Russian Pavel Kotov, after three sets, 6:0, 6:1, 7:5.
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