Tennis-Djokovic comes through Prizmic test in Melbourne opener

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 14, 2024 Serbia's Novak Djokovic reacts after winning his first round match against Croatia's Dino Prizmic REUTERS/Issei Kato

MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Novak Djokovic was dragged into a dogfight by talented teenager Dino Prizmic and had to dig deep to open his Australian Open title defence with a 6-2 6-7(5) 6-3 6-4 victory in the first round on Sunday.

At a shade over four hours, it was Djokovic's longest first-round match at a major and he heaped praise on the Croatian qualifier for his performance on his Grand Slam debut.