Novak Djokovic elected to play against Alex de Minaur at the 2024 United Cup after a previous injury scare, and he was upset by the Australian in two sets.
The Serbian's match against Jiri Lehecka was interesting because Djokovic did win it but he also dealt with a wrist injury during much of it. It was clear that he was bothered by it, but he was able to overcome it and win the match.
After the match, Djokovic explained that it's not something he's not used to as he dealt with similar stuff before but doesn't think it will matter much. It kind of mattered today against de Minaur because the Australian was able to snap his 43-match winning streak in the country.
De Minaur played a fantastic match. It has to be said right out of the gate because he completely neutralized Djokovic on his serve, which never happens. It immediately tells you that the Serbian was clearly hampered during the match.
He never took a medical timeout but had minor treatments to massage the wrist between changeovers. Just observe the fact that de Minaur dropped only one point behind his first serve.
He's a good server, but he's not that good. On return, de Minaur did plenty of damage, especially on the second serve, which shouldn't be a huge surprise.
The final score ended up being 6-4 6-4 for the Australian as he earned the biggest win of his career. Djokovic greatly helped him in crucial moments, such as the double fault on break point in the second set.
When it comes to Djokovic, he'll probably just focus on getting ready for the Australian Open, which begins in the 3rd week of January. The wrist injury might prove a factor at the event, and it's clear that it does bother him, but he'll have 10+ days to get it right, and there is a good chance he will do so.
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