Djokovic gets injured and loses to De Miñaur in the United Cup

Bad news for Novak Djokovic and Serbia. The 24-time Grand Slam tournament winner has lost to Alex De Miñaur in a game where he was a massive favorite.

However, things didn’t go his way and the Serb was outplayed by the local player after suffering a wrist injury that didn’t allow him to perform at his best.

See also: Djokovic downplays wrist injury

De Miñaur, who had recently beaten Taylor Fritz, managed to close the game in straight sets (6-4, 6-4). It was the first time since 2018 that Nole lost a game on Australian soil, after 43 straight victories.

But besides the defeat, what probably is the most worrying thing for Djokovic and his fans is his wrist. With the Australian Open getting closer, the Serb maestro will try to recover in time before making this year’s debut in the first major of the calendar, where he will be looking to win his 11th trophy.

The biggest win in De Miñaur’s career

The other side of the coin was De Miñaur’s happiness after defeating Djokovic in front of the Australian crowd.

The Sydney native, who has won seven ATP titles so far, will be one of the players to watch in Melbourne and certainly one of the crowd’s favorites.

“It’s extremely special. Look, Novak is an unbelievable competitor and what he’s done for the sport is pretty special. It feels surreal, it feels amazing. I’m happy to do it here in Perth and in Australia”, the 24-year-old said after winning the match.

“Ultimately when you play against Novak you’ve just gotta go out there, try to enjoy it, back yourself no matter what, just keep fighting until the end. Today was my day, I’m happy I was able to get the won. This one means a lot so thank you guys very much”, he added.

Djokovic and De Miñaur have only played twice so far, with both players having won one game. Their first game took place in the fourth round of the 2023 Australian Open and Nole dismantled the Aussie 6-2 6-1 6-2.