MELBOURNE, Australia — An even 400 in Grand Slams and 102 in Australia. Novak Djokovic just keeps setting tennis records.
The 24-time major winner became the first player to reach 400 wins in Grand Slam singles when he beat Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on Saturday night in the third round of the Australian Open.
It improved his win-loss record to 102-10 at the Australian Open, too, equaling Roger Federer’s career haul for the most-ever match wins at the season’s first major.
Djokovic has won the Australian Open 10 times, more than anyone else. At 38, he’s in Australia aiming for a 25th career major that would make him the most decorated tennis player of all time.
Djokovic apologized for a moment of frustration in the seventh game of the second set, when he swiped the ball away angrily and it flew just past a ball girl crouching at the net post.
“I apologized for that. That was not necessary and in the heat of the moment,” he said. “I was lucky there and I’m sorry for causing any distress to the ball kid or anybody.”
Jannik Sinner receives treatment from a trainer for cramps in his legs during his match against Eliot Spizzirri.
(Dar Yasin / Associated Press)
Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner was saved by extreme heat rules in the third set of his match while limping and desperately trying to stretch out cramps in his arms and legs. Play was suspended for several minutes and the roof was closed on Rod Laver Arena on Saturday afternoon, and the two-time defending Australian Open champion returned a revitalized man.
After seemingly being on the verge of an unlikely exit — one his coach, Darren Cahill, was urging the 24-year-old Italian just to stick it out for a few more games — Sinner won five of the next six games to take the set against No. 85-ranked Eliot Spizzirri.
A 10-minute “cooling break” between the third and fourth sets followed — another allowance under the extreme heat policy — and Sinner returned for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory that highlighted a dramatic contrast of intense light and shade.
“I struggled physically today. I got lucky with the heat rule,” Sinner said, agreeing that the cooler indoor conditions suited him much more than the energy-sapping heat of the first two sets. “As the time passed, I felt better and better.”
In the women’s draw, Naomi Osaka withdrew before her scheduled third-round match against Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis on Saturday, ending a campaign noted for fashion and friction.
The two-time Australian Open champion announced it on social media without divulging her injury, posting on Instagram that she had to withdraw “to address something my body needs attention for after my last match.”
“I was so excited to keep going and this run meant the most to me, so having to stop here breaks my heart,” Osaka posted, “but I can’t risk doing any further damage so I can get back on the court.”
A year ago at Melbourne Park, Osaka retired from her third-round match against Belinda Bencic because of a strained abdominal muscle. Australian Open officials have not commented on Osaka’s withdrawal Saturday.
Osaka’s grand entrance to the tournament earlier this week went viral, when she walked onto the court for her first-round match wearing a wide-brim hat, a veil and holding a white parasol — a design she said her clothing sponsor, Nike, let her create.
Inglis advances to a fourth-round match against No. 2-ranked Iga Świątek, who had a 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 win over Anna Kalinskaya.
No. 4 Amanda Anisimova beat Peyton Stearns 6-1, 6-4 in an all-American encounter and will next face Wang Xinyu, who upset No. 13 Linda Noskova.
No. 5 Elena Rybakina advanced to a fourth-round match against No. 21 Elise Mertens.
In the men’s draw, 40-year-old Stan Wawrinka lost 6-7 (5), 6-2, 4-6, 4-6 to No. 9 Taylor Fritz and then grabbed two beers from a courtside ice box, cracked the cans with the tournament director and bid farewell to the crowd. “Cheers everybody! ” he said as he prepares for retirement at the end of the season.
Fritz will next face No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti, who held off Tomas Machac 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 to become the third Italian man to reach the fourth round.
No. 8 Ben Shelton beat Valentin Vacherot of Monaco, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (5) on Margaret Court Arena and said having the roof closed “just amplified the noise.”