As Dino Prizmic waited by the entrance of Rod Laver Arena before his first grand slam match, he had every reason to be overawed by the occasion. Directly behind him stood Novak Djokovic. Behind both of them sat a series of boards that list each of the former Australian Open champions and the years that they triumphed. Djokovic’s board contains 10 different years.
No matter, the Croatian teenager tackled the best player of all time without fear or favour, forcing Djokovic to find an extra gear in order to survive. After four gruelling hours, his longest first-round match in 14 years, Djokovic advanced to the second round with a 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 win.
