{"id":3912,"date":"2026-01-19T20:55:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T12:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/19\/novak-djokovic-begins-quest-for-11th-australian-open-and-25th-grand-slam-title-with-stunning-win-tennis-news\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T11:30:53","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T03:30:53","slug":"novak-djokovic-begins-quest-for-11th-australian-open-and-25th-grand-slam-title-with-stunning-win-tennis-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/19\/novak-djokovic-begins-quest-for-11th-australian-open-and-25th-grand-slam-title-with-stunning-win-tennis-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Novak Djokovic begins quest for 11th Australian Open and 25th Grand Slam title with stunning win | Tennis News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-component-name=\"ui-article-body\" data-testid=\"article-body\" data-highlight-intro=\"true\">\n<p>Novak Djokovic opened his quest for an 11th Australian Open title and a record 25th Grand Slam with an impressive first-round display in Melbourne on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>The fourth seed brushed aside Spain&#8217;s Pedro Martinez 6-3 6-2 6-2 at the Rod Laver Arena as he recorded a historic 100th Grand Slam win.<\/p>\n<p>Djokovic lost just three points in his first game in the entire match as he worked in a clinic.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-article-factbox\">\n<div class=\"sdc-article-factbox__text-wrapper\">\n<p><h4 class=\"sdc-article-factbox__title\">Novak Djokovic now holds the ALL-TIME Grand Slams record for most&#8230;<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"sdc-article-factbox__text\">\ud83c\udfc6 Articles<\/p>\n<p>\ud83e\udd48 Last time<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udd25 semi-finalist<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcaa Quarter-final<\/p>\n<p>\u2694\ufe0f R16<\/p>\n<p>\u27a1\ufe0f R32<\/p>\n<p>\u27a1\ufe0f R64<\/p>\n<p>\u27a1\ufe0f R128s<\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udf9f\ufe0f Included<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc10\ud83d\udc10\ud83d\udc10 THE STATE OF THE GOAT ?\ud83d\udc10\ud83d\udc10\ud83d\udc10<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s nice to come back. This is definitely my favorite stadium, it has given me a lot,&#8221; said the Serbian player who will play in the qualifying match against Italy. <strong>Francesco Maestrelli <\/strong>in the second round.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m trying to bring it back as much as possible in 20-plus years and I hope you guys enjoy the tennis tonight.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>On his 100th win at the Australian Open, Djokovic said: &#8220;What can I say? I love the sound of it. Being the boss is a great feeling.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I always give my best whenever I&#8217;m on the court. Making history is a big motivation &#8211; and especially in the last five, 10 years of my career.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m blessed to be playing at this level and to win again tonight is a dream come true.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-article-custom-markup \" data-component-name=\"ui-article-custom-markup\" data-consent=\"pending\" data-vendor-name=\"instagram\" data-testid=\"article-custom-markup\">\n<section aria-label=\"Consent required\" class=\"ui-consent-roadblock\" data-component-name=\"ui-consent-roadblock\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" style=\"--width: 7; --height:4;\">\n<div class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body\">\n        <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__title\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-title\">Instagram<\/span><br \/>\n            <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__description\" data-show-on-fallback=\"false\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-description\"><\/p>\n<p>                This content is provided by <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__vendor-title\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-vendor-name-in-description\">Instagram<\/span>which may use cookies and other technologies. In order to show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to modify your preferences to enable <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__vendor-title\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-vendor-name-in-description\">Instagram<\/span> cookies or to allow those cookies once. You can change your settings at any time using Privacy Options.<br \/>\n            <\/span><br \/>\n            <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__description\" data-show-on-fallback=\"true\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-description\"><\/p>\n<p>                Unfortunately we couldn&#8217;t confirm if you agreed <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__vendor-title\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-vendor-name-in-description\">Instagram<\/span> cookies. To view this content you can use the button below to allow <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__vendor-title\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-vendor-name-in-description\">Instagram<\/span> cookies for this session only.<br \/>\n            <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__link-group\">\n<p>                Allow Cookies Allow Cookies Once\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p>Just by taking the court, Djokovic equaled Roger Federer&#8217;s all-time singles records when he played for 21st place in Melbourne and 81st overall at a Grand Slam, one shared with Spain&#8217;s Feliciano Lopez.<\/p>\n<p>It has been 20 years since Djokovic lost in the opening round of a major and that run was never in jeopardy here as he cruised past 71st-ranked Martinez.<\/p>\n<p>Djokovic, supported by former Melbourne Victory Spanish midfielder Juan Mata, had not played a match since November 9, and has struggled to negotiate slams in recent years, but this was a clean and controlled match.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-site-video sdc-article-widget callfn\" data-account-id=\"6057984924001\" data-amp-iframe-embed=\"\" data-asset-id=\"c649b822-4389-475d-9601-28651bec1a23\" data-asset-path=\"\" data-asset-version=\"\" data-autoplay=\"false\" data-auth-config=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/api.condatis.sky\/auth\/video\/token&quot;,&quot;tokenRequired&quot;:true,&quot;fetchMethod&quot;:&quot;url&quot;,&quot;fetchOptions&quot;:{&quot;encoded&quot;:true},&quot;headers&quot;:{&quot;X-SkyGDP-Proposition&quot;:&quot;sportweb&quot;,&quot;X-SkyGDP-Territory&quot;:&quot;GB&quot;,&quot;Authorization&quot;:&quot;OGY5ZDgxZjRhNzYwNGQ3MTljMjFhMDJlOGVmODRhYzA=&quot;}}\" data-caption=\"Daniil Medvedev completely destroyed his racket after defeat against Benjamin Bonzi in an tense and drama-filled match at the US Open\" data-clip-type=\"\" data-component-name=\"sdc-site-video\" data-component-name-alias=\"ui-sitewide-video\" data-competition=\"\" data-copy-url-text=\"URL copied to clipboard\" data-fn=\"sdc-site-video\" data-id=\"id_c649b822-4389-475d-9601-28651bec1a23\" data-is-live-stream=\"false\" data-lite=\"true\" data-options=\"\" data-originator-id=\"49\" data-originator-handle=\"brightcove-sport-gb\" data-package-name=\"\" data-provider=\"brightcove\" data-player-id=\"DESF5xFjJ\" data-playsinline=\"\" data-sensitive=\"\" data-sdc-id=\"7000744\" data-sdc-video-id=\"c649b822-4389-475d-9601-28651bec1a23\" data-sport-category=\"\" data-state=\"loading\" data-token-state=\"none\" data-video-ad-unit=\"videoplayer\" data-video-blacklisted-originator-ids=\"\" data-video-id=\"ref:c649b822-4389-475d-9601-28651bec1a23\" data-video-type=\"\" data-auto-pause-on-not-visible=\"\" data-defer-source=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-closed-captions-position=\"\" data-show-closed-captions=\"true\" data-show-pip=\"\" data-show-live-stream-scrubber=\"\" data-autoload=\"\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-video__inner\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-video__content\" data-role=\"bridge-controller\" style=\"padding-bottom: calc(100% \/ ());\">\n<p class=\"sdc-site-video__accessibility-message\" data-role=\"accessibility-message\">Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player<\/p>\n<p>              <span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-role=\"poster\" class=\"sdc-site-video__poster\"><\/p>\n<p>              <span class=\"sdc-site-video__loader\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-loader\"\/><\/p>\n<p>              <\/span><\/p>\n<p>              <video id=\"id_c649b822-4389-475d-9601-28651bec1a23\" data-embed=\"default\" data-application-id=\"\" class=\"video-js sdc-site-video__tag\" controls=\"\" playsinline=\"\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-video\"\/>\n            <\/div><figcaption class=\"sdc-site-video__caption ui-media-caption\">\n<p>              <span class=\"ui-media-caption__caption-text\" data-role=\"caption-text\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-caption\">Daniil Medvedev completely destroyed his racket after losing to Benjamin Bonzi in a tense and drama-filled match at the US Open.<\/span><br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Daniel Medvedev<\/strong> He overcame Melbourne heat and news to serve Jesper de Jong 7-5 6-2 7-6 (7-2) in the first round.<\/p>\n<p>The 11th seed, fresh from winning the title in Brisbane, came out on top \u2060after a topsy-turvy opening set that included five breaks as both players struggled with their delivery on the Margaret Court Arena.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The conditions felt slow, so we were both getting a lot of separation,&#8221; said Medvedev, a three-time runner-up at Melbourne Park.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s warm, but I felt good and I think he was probably struggling a little more than I was. I hope it&#8217;s not worse than what we&#8217;ve been feeling here. Sure, a little ice bath isn&#8217;t bad after a warm game.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-article-custom-markup \" data-component-name=\"ui-article-custom-markup\" data-consent=\"pending\" data-vendor-name=\"instagram\" data-testid=\"article-custom-markup\">\n<section aria-label=\"Consent required\" class=\"ui-consent-roadblock\" data-component-name=\"ui-consent-roadblock\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" style=\"--width: 7; --height:4;\">\n<div class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body\">\n        <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__title\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-title\">Instagram<\/span><br \/>\n            <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__description\" data-show-on-fallback=\"false\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-description\"><\/p>\n<p>                This content is provided by <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__vendor-title\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-vendor-name-in-description\">Instagram<\/span>which may use cookies and other technologies. In order to show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to modify your preferences to enable <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__vendor-title\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-vendor-name-in-description\">Instagram<\/span> cookies or to allow those cookies once. You can change your settings at any time using Privacy Options.<br \/>\n            <\/span><br \/>\n            <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__description\" data-show-on-fallback=\"true\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-description\"><\/p>\n<p>                Unfortunately we couldn&#8217;t confirm if you agreed <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__vendor-title\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-vendor-name-in-description\">Instagram<\/span> cookies. To view this content you can use the button below to allow <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__vendor-title\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-vendor-name-in-description\">Instagram<\/span> cookies for this session only.<br \/>\n            <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__link-group\">\n<p>                Allow Cookies Allow Cookies Once\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p>Medvedev, playing French<strong>Quentin Halys<\/strong> in the second round, he added: &#8220;When I&#8217;m playing well I&#8217;m aggressive and when I&#8217;m playing badly, I&#8217;m defensive,&#8221; said Medvedev.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He was also very behind the baseline. A lot of times I was able to move him to the net. Sometimes I could be a little clinical.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The first round is not easy, so I hope to be better in the next rounds.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Wawrinka and Cilic turn back the clock<\/h2>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-article-image\" data-testid=\"article-image\">\n<figure class=\"sdc-article-image__figure\">\n<div class=\"sdc-article-image__wrapper\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sdc-article-image__item\" loading=\"lazy\" intrinsicsize=\"768x432\" src=\"https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/01\/768x432\/skysports-marin-cilic-tennis_7139636.jpg?20260119121850\" srcset=\"https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/01\/384x216\/skysports-marin-cilic-tennis_7139636.jpg?20260119121850 380w, https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/01\/768x432\/skysports-marin-cilic-tennis_7139636.jpg?20260119121850 760w, https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/01\/1600x900\/skysports-marin-cilic-tennis_7139636.jpg?20260119121850 1024w, https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/01\/2048x1152\/skysports-marin-cilic-tennis_7139636.jpg?20260119121850 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1024px) 1024px, 100vw\" alt=\"Australia, Melbourne: Tennis: Grand Slam - Australian Open, men, first round. Altmaier (Germany) - Cilic (Croatia). Marin Cilic is active. \" data-testid=\"article-image-image\"\/>\n    <\/div><figcaption class=\"ui-media-caption\" data-testid=\"article-image-caption\">\n        <span class=\"u-hide-visually\">Image:<\/span><br \/>\n        <span class=\"ui-media-caption__caption-text\" data-testid=\"article-image-caption-text\">Marin Cilic, 37 years old, won the first 12 games with little tension to dispel the hype of the Grand Slam main draw &#8216;three badge&#8217;.<br \/>\n        <\/span><br \/>\n      <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Former Australian Open champion <strong>Stan Wawrinka<\/strong> turned back the clock to come from a layup to beat unseeded Serb Laslo Djere 5-7 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-4), while <strong>Marin Cilic<\/strong> and fly the flag veterans with brutal performance.<\/p>\n<p>Wawrinka, 40, who claimed his three Grand Slam titles under the reign of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic, is making his final appearance at Melbourne Park as a wild card after announcing that 2026 will be his last season on tour.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s been a long journey, it&#8217;s been amazing with so many memories here. It&#8217;s been amazing. The reason I came back is because of your love. [fans] give me,&#8221; Wawrinka said dejectedly.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s my last year. The passion is still there but I&#8217;m not young anymore. Today was amazing, it&#8217;s very special for me to enter the court and the Grand Slam. It&#8217;s the reason I train hard with my team every off-season and every day &#8211; to have the chance to compete with the best players in the world.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-article-custom-markup \" data-component-name=\"ui-article-custom-markup\" data-consent=\"pending\" data-vendor-name=\"instagram\" data-testid=\"article-custom-markup\">\n<section aria-label=\"Consent required\" class=\"ui-consent-roadblock\" data-component-name=\"ui-consent-roadblock\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" style=\"--width: 7; --height:4;\">\n<div class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body\">\n        <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__title\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-title\">Instagram<\/span><br \/>\n            <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__description\" data-show-on-fallback=\"false\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-description\"><\/p>\n<p>                This content is provided by <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__vendor-title\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-vendor-name-in-description\">Instagram<\/span>which may use cookies and other technologies. In order to show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to modify your preferences to enable <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__vendor-title\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-vendor-name-in-description\">Instagram<\/span> cookies or to allow those cookies once. You can change your settings at any time using Privacy Options.<br \/>\n            <\/span><br \/>\n            <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__description\" data-show-on-fallback=\"true\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-description\"><\/p>\n<p>                Unfortunately we couldn&#8217;t confirm if you agreed <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__vendor-title\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-vendor-name-in-description\">Instagram<\/span> cookies. To view this content you can use the button below to allow <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__vendor-title\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-vendor-name-in-description\">Instagram<\/span> cookies for this session only.<br \/>\n            <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__link-group\">\n<p>                Allow Cookies Allow Cookies Once\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p>Former Australian Open finalist Cilic looked in fine form as he defeated Germany&#8217;s Daniel Altmaier 6-0 6-0 7-6 (7-3) earlier.<\/p>\n<p>The 37-year-old won his first 12 matches without much fanfare to spark talk of a Grand Slam main draw &#8216;triple bagel&#8217;, achieved by only five players in the professional era, the last being Sergi Bruguera at the 1993 French Open.<\/p>\n<p>A &#8216;triple bagel&#8217; wins a match in three sets without dropping a match.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-article-factbox\">\n<div class=\"sdc-article-factbox__text-wrapper\">\n<p><h4 class=\"sdc-article-factbox__title\">Fun facts<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"sdc-article-factbox__text\">The last triple bail \ud83e\udd6f\ud83e\udd6f\ud83e\udd6f at a Grand Slam was over 30 years ago when clay court specialist Sergi Bruguera beat Thierry Champion en route to his 1993 French Open title!<\/p>\n<p>Nasser Al-Khelaifi, president of Paris Saint-Germain and chairman of Qatar Sports Investments, is the rare recipient of the three-time badge having lost 6-0 6-0 6-0 to Taiwan&#8217;s Lin Bing-Chao in the Davis Cup in 1999.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>FAA makes early exit from Australian Open due to cramp<\/h2>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-article-image\" data-testid=\"article-image\">\n<figure class=\"sdc-article-image__figure\">\n<div class=\"sdc-article-image__wrapper\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sdc-article-image__item\" loading=\"lazy\" intrinsicsize=\"768x432\" src=\"https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/01\/768x432\/skysports-felix-auger-aliassime_7139345.jpg?20260119072650\" srcset=\"https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/01\/384x216\/skysports-felix-auger-aliassime_7139345.jpg?20260119072650 380w, https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/01\/768x432\/skysports-felix-auger-aliassime_7139345.jpg?20260119072650 760w, https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/01\/1600x900\/skysports-felix-auger-aliassime_7139345.jpg?20260119072650 1024w, https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/01\/2048x1152\/skysports-felix-auger-aliassime_7139345.jpg?20260119072650 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1024px) 1024px, 100vw\" alt=\"Portugal's Nuno Borges (L) is congratulated by Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime, who has left through injury, during their men's singles match at d.\" data-testid=\"article-image-image\"\/>\n    <\/div><figcaption class=\"ui-media-caption\" data-testid=\"article-image-caption\">\n        <span class=\"u-hide-visually\">Image:<\/span><br \/>\n        <span class=\"ui-media-caption__caption-text\" data-testid=\"article-image-caption-text\">Jacob Fearnley was beaten by Pole Kamil Majchrzak<br \/>\n        <\/span><br \/>\n      <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Felix Auger-Aliassime <\/strong>he was left scratching his head after his hopes were dashed by a first-round tie.<\/p>\n<p>The Canadian player is the first in the top ten at Melbourne Park, and he did not come to the end of his collision with Nuno Borges from Portugal, leaving them trailing 3-6 6-4 6-4.<\/p>\n<p>Auger-Aliassime was desperate for a good run at Melbourne Park as she reached the semi-finals of the US Open during a superb second half last season.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t have all the answers right now,&#8221; said the seventh seed. &#8220;I try to be the best in everything I do.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Obviously it hurts more because if I knew myself and said, &#8216;well, I wasn&#8217;t really ready,&#8217; or I wasn&#8217;t doing everything, you have to be honest with yourself.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But, even if I&#8217;m being honest with myself, I don&#8217;t really get the reasons why this happened. I don&#8217;t remember this at all in my life. [happening this] at the beginning of the tournament, this is at the beginning of the game.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-site-video sdc-article-widget callfn\" data-account-id=\"6057984924001\" data-amp-iframe-embed=\"\" data-asset-id=\"66c818ef-f852-4760-87a9-f87826676cdc\" data-asset-path=\"\" data-asset-version=\"\" data-autoplay=\"false\" data-auth-config=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/api.condatis.sky\/auth\/video\/token&quot;,&quot;tokenRequired&quot;:true,&quot;fetchMethod&quot;:&quot;url&quot;,&quot;fetchOptions&quot;:{&quot;encoded&quot;:true},&quot;headers&quot;:{&quot;X-SkyGDP-Proposition&quot;:&quot;sportweb&quot;,&quot;X-SkyGDP-Territory&quot;:&quot;GB&quot;,&quot;Authorization&quot;:&quot;OGY5ZDgxZjRhNzYwNGQ3MTljMjFhMDJlOGVmODRhYzA=&quot;}}\" data-caption=\"Felix Auger-Aliassime stunned Alexander Zverev at the US Open with a masterclass\" data-clip-type=\"\" data-component-name=\"sdc-site-video\" data-component-name-alias=\"ui-sitewide-video\" data-competition=\"\" data-copy-url-text=\"URL copied to clipboard\" data-fn=\"sdc-site-video\" data-id=\"id_66c818ef-f852-4760-87a9-f87826676cdc\" data-is-live-stream=\"false\" data-lite=\"true\" data-options=\"\" data-originator-id=\"49\" data-originator-handle=\"brightcove-sport-gb\" data-package-name=\"\" data-provider=\"brightcove\" data-player-id=\"DESF5xFjJ\" data-playsinline=\"\" data-sensitive=\"\" data-sdc-id=\"7006697\" data-sdc-video-id=\"66c818ef-f852-4760-87a9-f87826676cdc\" data-sport-category=\"\" data-state=\"loading\" data-token-state=\"none\" data-video-ad-unit=\"videoplayer\" data-video-blacklisted-originator-ids=\"\" data-video-id=\"ref:66c818ef-f852-4760-87a9-f87826676cdc\" data-video-type=\"\" data-auto-pause-on-not-visible=\"\" data-defer-source=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-closed-captions-position=\"\" data-show-closed-captions=\"true\" data-show-pip=\"\" data-show-live-stream-scrubber=\"\" data-autoload=\"\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-video__inner\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-video__content\" data-role=\"bridge-controller\" style=\"padding-bottom: calc(100% \/ ());\">\n<p class=\"sdc-site-video__accessibility-message\" data-role=\"accessibility-message\">Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player<\/p>\n<p>              <span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-role=\"poster\" class=\"sdc-site-video__poster\"><br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/25\/08\/768x432\/skysports-felix-auger-aliassime_7006709.jpg?20250831071616\" alt=\"Alexander Zverev vs Felix Auger-Aliassime\" srcset=\"https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/25\/08\/768x432\/skysports-felix-auger-aliassime_7006709.jpg?20250831071616 600w,https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/25\/08\/1600x900\/skysports-felix-auger-aliassime_7006709.jpg?20250831071616\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"sdc-site-video__poster-img excluded-image\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-poster\"\/><br \/>\n              <span class=\"sdc-site-video__loader\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-loader\"\/><\/p>\n<p>              <\/span><\/p>\n<p>              <video id=\"id_66c818ef-f852-4760-87a9-f87826676cdc\" data-embed=\"default\" data-application-id=\"\" class=\"video-js sdc-site-video__tag\" controls=\"\" playsinline=\"\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-video\"\/>\n            <\/div><figcaption class=\"sdc-site-video__caption ui-media-caption\">\n<p>              <span class=\"ui-media-caption__caption-text\" data-role=\"caption-text\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-caption\">Felix Auger-Aliassime stunned Alexander Zverev at the US Open with a masterclass<\/span><br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Auger-Aliassime was clearly struggling with her left thigh and, after calling the trainer, played just two points in the fourth set before shaking hands.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I want to be in court and win,&#8221; he said of his decision. &#8220;I want to be on the court competing with my opponent. I don&#8217;t want to just stand there like a punching bag.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Fearnley lost in a tough competition<\/h2>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-article-image\" data-testid=\"article-image\">\n<figure class=\"sdc-article-image__figure\">\n<div class=\"sdc-article-image__wrapper\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sdc-article-image__item\" loading=\"lazy\" intrinsicsize=\"768x432\" src=\"https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/01\/768x432\/skysports-kamil-majchrzak-tennis_7139479.jpg?20260119093829\" srcset=\"https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/01\/384x216\/skysports-kamil-majchrzak-tennis_7139479.jpg?20260119093829 380w, https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/01\/768x432\/skysports-kamil-majchrzak-tennis_7139479.jpg?20260119093829 760w, https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/01\/1600x900\/skysports-kamil-majchrzak-tennis_7139479.jpg?20260119093829 1024w, https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/01\/2048x1152\/skysports-kamil-majchrzak-tennis_7139479.jpg?20260119093829 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1024px) 1024px, 100vw\" alt=\"Poland's Kamil Majchrzak, right, is congratulated by Britain's Jacob Fearnley following their first round match at the Australian Open ten\" data-testid=\"article-image-image\"\/>\n    <\/div><figcaption class=\"ui-media-caption\" data-testid=\"article-image-caption\">\n        <span class=\"u-hide-visually\">Image:<\/span><br \/>\n        <span class=\"ui-media-caption__caption-text\" data-testid=\"article-image-caption-text\">Jacob Fearnley was beaten by Pole Kamil Majchrzak<br \/>\n        <\/span><br \/>\n      <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Britain&#8217;s Jacob Fearnley crashed out in the first round as his difficult season continued.<\/p>\n<p>The Scot, who reached the third round for the first time last year, was beaten 7-6 (7-2) 7-5 3-6 7-6 (7-3) by the Pole. <strong>Kamil Majchrzak<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Fearnley was not helped by falling hard in the fifth game of the fourth set when he broke, after which Majchrzak broke again.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I slipped, the ankle twisted and then the hip, the ankle, the knee went down &#8211; the hip I think is just a bruise but the ankle is really sore right now,&#8221; said Fearnley. &#8220;I hope it&#8217;s nothing [serious].&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Having broken into the top 50 in the world less than a year out of college, Fearnley is likely to slip back into the top 100.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I need to be more confident, take myself back a little bit, just play better,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Watch the ATP and WTA Tours, live on Sky Sports or stream NOW with the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sports this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Novak Djokovic opened his quest for an 11th Australian Open title and a record 25th Grand Slam with an impressive first-round display in Melbourne on Monday. The fourth seed brushed aside Spain&#8217;s Pedro Martinez 6-3 6-2 6-2 at the Rod Laver Arena as he recorded a historic 100th Grand Slam win. Djokovic lost just three &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3913,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-premier-league"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3912"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3914,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3912\/revisions\/3914"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}