Djokovic becomes first player to win 400 Grand Slam matches

Novak Djokovic Reaches 400 Grand Slam Wins and Narrowly Avoids Disqualification

Novak Djokovic made history Saturday night at the Australian Open, becoming the first tennis player to win 400 matches at Grand Slam tournaments, while narrowly escaping disqualification after a ball he struck in frustration nearly hit a ball kid.

The 38-year-old Serbian defeated Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) at Rod Laver Arena to advance to the fourth round in Melbourne. With the victory, Djokovic also equaled Roger Federer’s record of 102 Australian Open match wins and recorded his 70th career appearance in the round of 16 at a major — breaking another Federer record.olympics

Milestone Win Tainted by Scare

The historic evening took a tense turn during the second set when Djokovic, leading 6-3, 4-2, hit a ball in anger after van de Zandschulp sent a shot wide. The ball narrowly missed a ball kid crouched near the net post, who ducked just in time.nytimes

“I apologize for that. That was not necessary,” Djokovic said after the match. “In the heat of the moment — I was lucky there, and I’m sorry for causing any distress to the ball kid or anybody”.bbc

Had the ball made contact, officials would likely have had grounds to default the 24-time Grand Slam champion. The incident evoked memories of his 2020 U.S. Open disqualification, when a ball he struck in frustration hit a line judge in the throat during a fourth-round match against Pablo Carreno Busta.espn

“He hit that in an area where nine times out of ten, it’s likely a default,” former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash said on BBC Radio 5 Live commentary. “Somehow, he managed to sneak it between the ball kid and the spectators on the left”.bbc

Record Consolidation

The victory extended Djokovic’s lead atop the all-time Grand Slam wins list to 31 matches ahead of Federer, who sits second with 369 victories. The 10-time Australian Open champion has now won all three of his matches this fortnight in straight sets as he pursues a record-breaking 25th major title.atptour

Djokovic also overcame adversity in the third set when he fell during the third game and required treatment for a blister on his right foot. Van de Zandschulp broke his serve to take a 3-1 lead, but Djokovic rallied to force a tiebreak and eventually closed out the two-hour, 44-minute match.reuters

“I managed to have a ‘good’ fall, if you can call it that. I could protect myself,” Djokovic said. “Things could have been pretty ugly”.washingtonpost

Looking Ahead

Djokovic will face 16th seed Jakub Mensik in the fourth round, a rematch of their 2025 Miami final where the 20-year-old Czech upset the Serbian legend. Djokovic acknowledged the challenge posed by the younger generation, including defending champion Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.tennismajors

“I’m still trying to give these young guys a run for their money. I’m still around. I’m hanging in there,” Djokovic said.hindustantimes