Novak Djokovic makes classy gesture to teenage underdog after being forced to play his longest ever grand slam first roud match at the Australian Open

Novak Djokovic heaped praise on his teenage rival Dino Prizmic after the all-conquering champion had to play his longest match in the first round at a grand slam.

Djokovic’s opening round match lasted four hours and one minute. The Croatian wildcard won the second set 7-6 and pushed the Serbian to the limit before succumbing to a four-set defeat.

But all the praise went to the 18-year-old and after the match ended, Djokovic led him to the center of the court to appreciate the ovation from the Rod Laver Arena crowd.

Speaking to Jim Courier, Djokovic believes Prizmic has a very bright future ahead of him.

Dino Prizmic pushed Djokovic to a grueling four-hour victory in Melbourne

“He deserves every applause and every honor he got tonight,” he said. ‘He’s a great player, I must say, so mature for his age. He behaved so well on the field.

‘This is his moment. He fought, he showed great mentality and resilience, he definitely gave me a run for my money tonight.

‘To be honest, I have a lot of praise for him, a lot of compliments for him, I love the way he uses every inch of the pitch, he defends incredibly well.

‘Great achievement for someone who is 18 years old, big kudos to him and his team, his family and I definitely want to be in his corner if he invites me because we will see big things from him in the future.’

Djokovic called on the Rod Laver Arena crowd to applaud the 18-year-old after his victory

Prizmic, born six months after Djokovic made his Grand Slam debut in January 2005, offered the 24-time Grand Slam winner a reality check as he enjoys the twilight of his career.

“If you think about it, I’m double his age, wow, reality is hitting you hard tonight.

“I struggled in a lot of different moments tonight, but it’s thanks to him for his incredible game plan.

‘I’ve had good moments, at times I wish I could have played better.’