It was another awkward outing for Novak Djokovic on a day when one more record went his way, but in the end it was sealed with a kiss, blown in the direction of his new coach Andy Murray.
No one, male or female, has played more at the Grand Slams than Djokovic, this 430rd match taking him clear of his old rival Roger Federer.
Another old rival is in his corner now and this was a tricky encounter for the new duo, as Djokovic was taken to four sets for the second round in a row.
First it was 19-year-old American Nishesh Basavareddy and on Wednesday it was 21-year-old Portuguese Jaime Faria – two young men with nothing to lose who produced displays of fearless brilliance.
Once again the 10-time champion was far below his best but he did enough, winning 6-1, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2. And afterwards he quoted No5 seed Daniil Medvedev, saying: ‘In the wise words of Mr. Medvedev: if the future generation plays this way they’re gonna have everything. Money, girls, casino.’
All good fun at the end, then, but the 37-year-old was not happy for much of this match, as from a set and a break up he found himself in real trouble.
Novak Djokovic is still finding his feet with new coach Andy Murray but sealed his eventual second-round win with a kiss in his former rival’s direction
In Djokovic’s corner Murray has been urged to speak up in their burgeoning partnership
The serial champion was able to bypass 21-year-old Jaime Faria but it took a lengthy four sets
Towards the end of the second set, on a gloomy day in Melbourne, the lights came on. Djokovic didn’t like that and asked umpire Marija Cicak to have them switched off, which she did. He complained again when a spectator shouted out in the middle of a point, and was even disturbed by the protracted crying of a baby.
There was a lot going on, then, but Djokovic’s main problems were on the court.
He said after the Basavareddy match he felt he was too passive from the back of the court and that was certainly the case against Faria.
At times he was doing little more than plonking the ball over and allowing Faria to do pretty much whatever he wanted. Djokovic was never able to apply any pressure with his groundstrokes so Faria could just ease his way into a point and pick the moment to unleash his power.
Faria disappeared for a change of clothes after taking the second-set tiebreak, giving Djokovic the opportunity to have an extended chat with Murray.
But in the next game, the first of the third set, Djokovic sent gestures towards Murray as if to say ‘What can I do?’ as his opponent blasted a couple of winners.
When Djokovic did try to hit out, to shake his opponent out of his rhythm and take control of the baseline real estate, he missed more often than not.
He tried one drop shot in what appeared to be desperation and turned away from the court with a look of disgust.
The ATP veteran at times looked desperate and out of answers in the midst of the clash
Djokovic was not able to put Faria under heavy pressure in the opening sets of the contest
The Portuguese player brought his best level against Djokovic but foundered on lack of experience as the match wore on
At the start of one service game he said: ‘Andy,’ and asked his coach something – perhaps where he should direct his serve. That little interaction caused him to run over the shot clock and he received a time violation warning.
Similarly to his first round against the rookie Basavareddy, it felt as though Djokovic could do little more than dig in and hope for some signs of wiltage in his younger opponent.
Faria’s physical deterioration was not as sudden as Basavarredy, who cramped up badly, but as the third set went on he was not pushing out to wide balls with as much explosiveness, not chasing quite as hard.
As is his wont, Djokovic’s level rose as his opponent’s dipped. He began to open his shoulders a bit more and in the key first game of the fourth set there was one sublime backhand up the line.
When he secured a break in that game, coach Murray felt relaxed enough to exchange a joke and a smile with another member of Djokovic’s team – not for long though, the iron mask came down as soon as his player was ready to serve.
Djokovic is through but he needs to up his level significantly if he is to seriously challenge for an 11th title here. The 26th seeded Tomas Machac is his next opponent and that will be a big step up after two talented but callow youths.
And the hulking figure of Carlos Alcaraz looms, not so far away now in a prospective quarter-final. Djokovic has two matches in which to find some form; we have seen precious little so far to suggest he is ready to trouble the Spaniard. But Murray will not be looking that far ahead. With how his man has struggled so far, he cannot afford to.