Danish teenager defeats Novak Djokovic to announce himself on the world stage
It was a perfect Saturday to make a rare appearance in the spotlight as 16-year-old Danish teenager Stefanos Tsitsipas claimed an unassailable 4-1, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 7-5 win over Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and then declared himself ready for the top.
The teenager beat the world No.1 in the third set after they entered the match at 3-2 down, taking a 4-3 lead and holding for almost two hours over the reigning world No.1, who had won just 13 successive matches dating back to last year’s US Open.
Djokovic had been on a losing roll after finishing down 1-3 in the first set, but looked to have turned things around against the teenager, who had won his five previous matches against Djokovic, at the beginning of the second set.
But the 16-year-old Tsitsipas came back to claim the second set to send the Serbian star packing to the locker room.
Djokovic’s season continued with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 loss to Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro in a third-set tie-break and Tsitsipas’s final match would prove to be the biggest upset of all.