In stunning Australian Open upset, Djokovic falls to unknown wild card player from Uzbekistan

Novak Djokovic plays a backhand against Denis Istomin.
(Image credit: Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

In what is being called "one of the biggest upsets" in Australian Open history, Novak Djokovic, 29, was defeated in the second round by Denis Istomin, 30, a wild card player from Uzbekistan who is ranked 117th in the world. Last June, Djokovic held all four Grand Slam singles titles at the same time; he has won the Australian Open six times, and had not suffered such an early defeat in a Grand Slam tournament in almost nine years.

Istomin won 7-6 (10-8), 5-7, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, with the five sets taking four hours and 48 minutes to complete. "First of all, I feel sorry for Novak; I was playing so good today," Istomin said. "I surprised myself as well."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.