Melbourne
Defending champion Novak Djokovic admitted his Australian Open might be over after an injury-hit win on Friday as fans were kicked out ahead of a state-wide coronavirus lockdown.
In extraordinary scenes, the eight-time winner’s night match against Taylor Fritz was suspended at 11:30 pm (1230 GMT) to clear Rod Laver Arena before Victoria state’s six million residents were locked down at midnight.
The five-day lockdown, during which fans are barred and players go into a biosecure “bubble”, follows an outbreak of the highly contagious UK coronavirus strain stemming from an airport hotel.
In the now-empty stadium, a grimacing Djokovic, who needed repeated treatment on an abdominal injury, recovered from losing the third and fourth sets to beat Fritz 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2.
After his roars of celebration echoed around the empty stadium, Djokovic said he didn’t know if he’ll be able to play his last-16 match against Canada’s Milos Raonic.
“I know it’s a tear, definitely, of the muscle so I don’t know if I’ll manage to recover from that in less than two days,” said the Serb.
“I don’t know if I’m going to step out on the court or not, I’m just very proud of this achievement tonight.
“It was definitely one of the most special wins in my life,” he said.—AP
