Novak Djokovic's 43-match winning run in Australia halts with defeat in United Cup

The last time the Serbian lost was in 2018.

Alex de Minaur pulled off the biggest upset of the United Cup by defeating Novak Djokovic in straight sets, ending the Serb’s 43-match winning streak in Australia. The Australian number one ranked 12th in the world, played with aggression and confidence to beat the reigning Australian Open champion 6-4, 6-4 in front of a raucous home crowd at Perth.

Djokovic, who had not lost a match in Australia since 2018, looked out of sorts and struggled with wrist injury that required treatment during the match. He made 28 unforced errors and failed to convert any of his six break points.

De Minaur, on the other hand, was relentless in his attack, hitting 18 winners and breaking Djokovic twice in each set. He sealed the victory with a forehand winner after one hour and 34 minutes, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

The Australian played with excellence and consistency, winning 33 out of 34 first-serve points, to achieve the most remarkable victory of his career in 94 minutes to put Australia ahead 1-0 in their quarter-final clash against Serbia at the mixed teams event.

Djokovic, who has won 24 grand slam titles, including nine Australian Open titles, praised de Minaur for his performance and said he hoped to recover from his injury in time for the first major of the year, which starts on January 14th.

The world no.1’s previous defeat in Australia came at the Australian Open 2018 when he lost to Hyeon Chung in the fourth round. Since then, he has won four titles in Melbourne. His 43-match winning run in Australia was the second-longest in the Open Era, behind Roger Federer’s 56-match streak between 2004 and 2010.

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