Credit : Sports Illustrated
He was not in the top 100, did not emerge from a strong tennis nation and was seemingly on the decline.
On the eve of a the 2017 Australian Open featuring the return of Federer and the Murray -Djokovic rivalry, Dennis Istomin was clearly not the main character of the script for what was already being advertised as one of the most eagerly awaited tournaments of recent years.
Formerly ranked 33rd in the world at the peak of his career, the Uzbek has been struggling to get back to his best and now evolves in the lower echelons of the ATP circuit, nowhere near the spotlight.
While the Orenburg native certainly isn't accustomed to center courts and packed stadiums, his next opponent definitely sounds familiar : a certain Novak Djokovic.
At the age of 30, the challenge is set : Dennis Istomin, ranked 117th in the world, will have to take down the world number 2 in his own garden
Credit : Australian open
« I Feel sorry for Novak, I was playing so good today »
15 minutes. 15 minutes for Djokovic to win his first service game of the match. 15 minutes, above all, the time needed to make the Rod laver Arena spectators realize that the massacre scheduled for the day would not take place; Dennis Istomin had not come here as a victim, but as a Challenger.
More than 4 hours of play later, and the Melbourne Park center court is ready to explode. In a match filled with endless rallies, improbable backhand winners and brilliant serves, Dennis Istomin is about to serve for the victory of a match that has captivated the entire tennis world.
Faithful to himself, the then 117th-ranked player remained calm and made history after his last winning serve of the match.
Istomin after having defeating Djokovic in a 5 set Thriller, Credit : Bein sports
Following a spectacular and improbable success, the Istomin storm would sweep away number 30 seed Pablo Carreno Busta, another big name on the ATP circuit, after a second 5-set battle.
Injured and diminished, the Uzbek phenomenon was defeated in the 4th round of the Australian Open, but remained for many, one of the symbols of the 2017 edition.
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