Novak Djokovic has qualified for the third round at the Australian Open. The Serb played his way past Frenchman Enzo Couacaud in four sets. Positive news for Djokovic is that three top-10 players in the lower portion of the playing schedule fell on Thursday. However, the former world number one's physical condition is not good and Djokovic admitted this at the press conference. 'My hamstring is far from good. I have to be honest: I look at it day by day,' were Djokovic's unpromising words.
With Caouacaud as his opponent, Djokovic faced the world's 191st ranked player. A quick victory was welcome given the hamstring problems, but Djokovic was on court for just under three hours. That was because he lost the second set via tiebreak. In sets three and four, Djokovic quickly put things in order and, according to the Serb, that was largely due to his experience. 'Enzo deserves the credit. He played very well, especially in the second set. We both had some physical problems and I missed too many chances, but in the end I saved myself thanks to my experience.'
However, there are big worries in the Djokovic camp. In Adelaide, where he did win the tournament, the Serb injured his hamstring and that injury is still bothering him. We already saw defending champion Rafael Nadal drop out due to injury and there is a good chance Djokovic will also have to throw in the towel in the next round against Grigor Dimitrov if it turns out to be a tough match. Djokovic's words at the press conference are not very hopeful. 'My hamstring is far from good. I have to be honest: I look at it day by day. It felt better during my first match. That's all I can say about it. It's up to God and the physio now. I hope I manage to recover and can get fit for a tough match.'
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