AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2016 TENNIS REPORT ON NOVAK DJOKOVIC AND HIS 100 UNFORCED ERRORS! BUT STILL WINS TO FACE KEI NISHIKORI BY RICKY DIMON

Written by: Staff on 24th January 2016

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2016 TENNIS REPORT ON NOVAK DJOKOVIC AND HIS 100 UNFORCED ERRORS! BUT STILL WINS TO FACE KEI NISHIKORI BY RICKY DIMON

epa05122062 A multiple exposure picture shows Novak Djokovic of Serbia in action against Giles Simon of France during their fourth round match at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 24 January 2016. EPA/MADE NAGI |

Novak Djokovic committed a hard-to-believe 100 unforced errors in his 6-3, 6-7(1), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win over Gilles Simon in the third round of the Australian Open on Sunday afternoon.

Djokovic was consistently poor the whole way. Even his 13 errors in the final set were atypical by usual Djokovic standards, although they were miniscule compared to what was previously on display in this head-scratcher of a contest. The top seed made 20 mistakes in the opener, 24 in the second set, and a shocking 29 in the fourth.

“In terms of the performance itself, I haven’t done well at all,” Djokovic reflected. “But (you) can expect unforced errors when you’re playing Gilles Simon, who is one of the best counter-punchers [on] the tour at the moment and he’s been around for many years. He likes to play long matches. He likes to play long rallies. I honestly didn’t expect to make this many unforced errors. In terms of a level that I’ve played, it’s the match to forget for me.

“Again, I won it, so it’s pretty good.”

“He made 100 unforced,” said Simon. “That’s a good number for me. Not for him.”

Alas, Djokovic is through to the quarterfinals and he will face Kei Nishikori for an eighth time on Tuesday. The head-to-head series stands at 5-2 in favor of Djokovic, but the true story may not be as favorable for Nishikori as it looks on paper. The Japanese sensation once led the series 2-1 only to see Djokovic reel off four consecutive wins. Since losing to Nishikori in a 2014 U.S. Open semifinal stunner, the world No. 1 has scored victories on indoor hard courts (three times) and outdoor clay (once).

Kei Nishikori of Japan waits to return serve against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France during their fourth round match on day seven of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 24 January 2016. EPA/LUKAS COCH

Their last three sets have been especially discouraging for Nishikori. Djokovic finished him off 6-1 in the third set of their 2015 Rome encounter and he cruised 6-1, 6-1 at the World Tour Finals last fall.

Nishikori has been cruising for the most part this fortnight. The world No. 7 has rolled over Philipp Kohlschreiber, Austin Krajicek, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, surrendering just one set to Garcia-Lopez along the way. Nishikori took an injury timeout for a wrist issue against the Spaniard, but he put any fears to rest by clobbering Tsonga 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in the fourth round.

Arguably the two best double-handed backhands in the sport will be showcased in this one, but Djokovic has a clear edge in just about every other department–including history of success at this event. The world No. 1 has lifted the trophy four times in the last five seasons and his only blemish during this stretch has come in a 2014 five-set quarterfinal thriller against Stan Wawrinka.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia serves against Gilles Simon of France during their fourth round match on day seven of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 24 January 2016. EPA/LUKAS COCH

“It gives me great joy to know that I can’t get worse than that, than what I played today,” Djokovic said with a smile after scraping past Simon. “It doesn’t concern me for the next one.”