Alejandro Davidovich Fokina once again showcased his resilience by coming back from a two-set deficit to defeat Jakub Mensik in an intense match at the Australian Open. This victory marked the second consecutive match where Fokina demonstrated his tenacity, making him the first man since 2005 to achieve this feat in Australia. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic battled mid-match breathing difficulties to secure a win against Tomas Machac, further solidifying his reputation with a ten-time Australian Open Grand Slam title haul. The tournament witnessed Danielle Collins addressing a booing crowd with humor after her victory over Destanee Aiava, and Carlos Alcaraz advancing to face Jack Draper in the next round.
Davidovich Fokina's persistence on the court has been a defining feature of his recent performances. Reflecting on his journey, he remarked:
“In all these years, I had a lot of ups and downs.”
He emphasized his determination this year:
“I had decided this year to fight every point.”
This mindset has proven effective, as evidenced by his ability to overturn two-set deficits in consecutive matches.
Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, overcame health challenges during his match against Tomas Machac. Despite experiencing breathing troubles, he managed to clinch victory, reinforcing his status as a formidable player at the Australian Open. Djokovic expressed sympathy for Danielle Collins, who faced a hostile crowd after her match. He admired her response:
“I loved it. Everything she said on the court, off the court. Big fan of Danielle Collins after that. I was before, but now, big fan. I think she was funny, smart and just big fan of what she did.”
Collins responded to the crowd's jeers by blowing kisses and humorously thanking them for funding her future vacation. Djokovic himself engaged with the audience by pointing to his ear and acknowledging someone in the Rod Laver Arena stands at the conclusion of his match.
Carlos Alcaraz also progressed to the next round after defeating Nuno Borges. He revealed mixed feelings about his performance:
“Could be better. I made a lot of mistakes that I shouldn’t have, … but in general, I’m just happy and have things to improve in approaching the next match.”
Alcaraz is set to face the number 15 seed, Jack Draper, in an upcoming round.
In addition to these highlights, Alexander Zverev and Tommy Paul emerged victorious in their respective third-round matches. Looking forward, Djokovic may face Carlos Alcaraz in what promises to be an exhilarating last-eight encounter.
Djokovic also shared his thoughts on the evolution of tennis and its audience engagement, suggesting that the sport needs to adapt:
“At the same time, I think we have been a little bit behind the other sports with changes and trying to keep the pace with the evolution of society and the new generation that we all know doesn’t have that much of a great attention span.”
He advocated for more dynamic changes during breaks in play, while maintaining traditional elements at Wimbledon:
“So, for example, the last couple of years I think only that we have this new rule where people are able to come in even if it’s not a changeover. So I guess that’s one of the ways to really try to open up a bit more and not have strict rules.”
“I think that we should try to look to connect more with the younger people and bring them in,”
