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He had captured his season opening 2017 tournament with a triumph in Doha, eclipsing Andy Murray in the title round of that event. He had looked reasonably sharp and immensely motivated during a first round, straight set victory here in Melbourne over Fernando Verdasco. But Novak Djokovic was most assuredly blind-sided by the sterling showing of one Denis Istomin in the second round of the season’s first major, and out he went in four hours and forty eight minutes against a player ranked No. 117 in the world who needed a wildcard to get into the main draw of the “Happy Slam.”

There was nothing happy about what happened in Rod Laver Arena in this startling contest for Djokovic, who was bidding for a third title in a row. He was upended 7-6 (8), 5-7, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 by the 30-year-old from Uzbekistan. In my view, this one ranks right near the top of the shockers registered in the modern era of the men’s game. Seven-time Wimbledon victor Pete Sampras was knocked out in the second round at the All England Club in 2002 by lucky loser George Bastl of Switzerland in five sets, and no one saw that coming. In 2012, Rafael Nadal was bludgeoned by a madly inspired and almost reckless Lukas Rosol on the Centre Court over five sets on the hallowed British lawns, also in the second round. Those were indeed astonishing upsets.

And yet, Istomin’s triumph over Djokovic today may rank at the top of my list for many reasons. Not only is he ranked No. 117 in the world, but his career match record at the four majors was no better than 31-34. At the Australian Open, he was 8-10. His career match record in all tournaments was 195-209. The best he has ever done at a Grand Slam championship is to reach the fourth round. To be sure, Istomin has been ranked much higher in the past, rising to a peak of No. 33 in the world five years ago. But the fact remains that Istomin has been essentially a journeyman across his entire career. In 33 previous clashes against top ten ranked players in his career, Istomin had pulled off only one win, toppling David Ferrer at Indian Wells in 2012.

Moreover, Istomin walked on court with a 0-5 record against his renowned adversary. In those duels with Djokovic, Istomin had garnered only one of thirteen sets. Twice—in 2010 and 2014— Djokovic had handled Istomin in straight sets at the Australian Open. How in the world did this same player overcome a 12-time Grand Slam singles champion on this occasion?

The holder of seventeen Grand Slams told Tennis Channel that the injury occurred while he was giving his kids a bath.

“I turned to put the water on and that’s when I heard the click in my knee and I didn’t think much of it and then after that we went to the zoo in the afternoon and I just realized my knee wasn’t good at all.”

After undergoing knee surgery, Federer was sidelined for six months due to extensive rehabilitation. As much as he enjoyed spending time with his family, he does admit he missed being on tour.

“Just missing sort of the family of tennis,” said the Swiss. “That started to hurt a little bit and that was probably the hardest part.”

It is safe to say that the ‘family of tennis’ missed the father of four, who many have crowned him the greatest of all time.

The top-seeded Murray tumbled to the court at Rod Laver Arena, clutching his ankle and cringing in pain during the third set of his second-round match against No. 156-ranked Andrey Rublev on Wednesday.

“It just a little bit stiff just now,” he said after the match. “I don’t think I’ve done too much damage.”

Murray held a practice session on Court 17 on Thursday afternoon and appeared to be moving freely. He is scheduled to play No. 31-seeded Sam Querrey in a Hisense Arena afternoon match.

Something that may have made Murray’s ankle feel better later in the day was news that Novak Djokovic was upset in the second round by Denis Istomin. On opposite sides of the draw, they couldn’t have met until the final, but Murray has lost five finals at Melbourne Park – four of them to Djokovic.

Here is a look at some of the other featured matches Friday:

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 19: Novak Djokovic of Serbia towels down in his second round match against Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan on day four of the 2017 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 19, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

Defending champion Novak Djokovic is out of the Australian Open, beaten 7-6 (8), 5-7, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 by wild-card entry Denis Istomin in a second-round match on Thursday.

Istomin made the vital break in the fifth game of the deciding set, then held service the rest of the way in the marathon 4 hour, 48-minute match on Rod Laver Arena.

The match featured a little bit of everything.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 19: Milos Raonic of Canada plays a forehand in his second round match against Gilles Muller of Luxembourg on day four of the 2017 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 19, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Third-seeded Milos Raonic maintained his record of reaching the third round all seven years he has contested the Australian Open, saving a set point in the third before beating Gilles Muller 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4).

Raonic clinched the win on his second match point when Muller returned a shot wide.

Muller, who won last week’s Sydney International for his first career tournament victory, officially had a 2-0 record against the Canadian. But Raonic retired from a match against him at Wimbledon in 2011 due to a hip injury, and Muller beat him at Valencia, Spain in 2012 in two close sets.

Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki celebrates a point win over Croatia's Donna Vekic during their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Wozniacki, who reached the semifinals here in 2011, lost in the second round in 2015 and in the first round last year.

A semifinalist at the U.S. Open last September, Wozniacki’s next opponent will be a tough one: Johanna Konta, who made it to the semifinals last year before losing to eventual champion Angelique Kerber, and who improved her ranking in 2016 to 10 from 48.

In other second round match, 2016 WTA Finals winner Dominika Cibulkova defeated Su-Wei Hsieh 6-4, 7-6(8).

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 18: Nick Kyrgios of Australia looks on in his second round match against Andreas Seppi of Italy on day three of the 2017 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 18, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Kyrgios and Dan Evans were due to play Dusan Lajovic and Viktor Troicki in the first round of the doubles on Thursday.

Kyrgios told reporters after his loss to Seppi that he likely wouldn’t play in the doubles because of injury concerns. He had sustained a knee injury playing basketball several weeks ago and acknowledged coming into the Australian Open not in the best shape.

Kyrgios was criticized for some of his shot selection and demeanor in the loss to Seppi, which came several months after he was briefly suspended from the tour for lack of effort in a match in Shanghai. The enigmatic Australian brushed off questions about his effort by saying his body was sore.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 19: Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic celebrates winning her second round match against Anna Blinkova of Russia on day four of the 2017 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 19, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Pliskova, who lost to Angelique Kerber in the U.S. Open final last September, overwhelmed the 18-year-old Blinkova, a Russian qualifier ranked 189th who had beaten veteran Monica Niculescu in the first round.

When Blinkova won her first game -after Pliskova had won 10 in a row – she smiled and raised her left arm to acknowledge the cheers from the crowd.

The fifth-seeded Pliskova advanced to the third round for the third consecutive year.

Britain's Johanna Konta makes a forehand return to Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)

Johanna Konta, who made a spirited run to the semifinals at last year’s Australian Open, will attempt to advance to the third round when she kicks off Day 4 action at Rod Laver Arena on Thursday.

Konta plays Naomi Osaka of Japan in what should be perfect weather conditions at Melbourne Park – sunny skies, a light breeze and a late morning temperature of 19 degrees Celsius (66 Fahrenheit).

Six-time champions Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams had matches later in the day on Rod Laver. Djokovic was playing Denis Istomin in the last afternoon match and Williams was against Lucie Safarova to open the evening program.

Isner again faltered at the Australian Open on Wednesday with a defeat in the second round, but there was a bright spot for the Americans – a win by Jack Sock, the player now poised to potentially step into his shoes as the next U.S. men’s hope.

It’s been an unusually optimistic start to the Australian Open for the American men, with nine advancing to the second round – the most since 2008.

Numbers dwindled Wednesday, with Noah Rubin, Ryan Harrison and Steve Johnson following Isner out of the draw. But Sock and Sam Querrey both won, and three more Americans have a chance to join them in the third round on Thursday – Donald Young, Ernesto Escobedo and Frances Tiafoe.

Although there’s considerable excitement about promising young players such as Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Reilly Opelka and Jared Donaldson, Sock is perhaps the closest to making a breakthrough on the big stage.

The 24-year-old Sock is coming off his best year on tour, winning two medals at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics (a gold in mixed doubles and bronze in men’s doubles) and reaching his first Masters quarterfinal in Shanghai.

Behind the Blue Door: Tools of the Trade

Yesterday, the entrance.  Today, a step inside.  Those nuggets, tidbits and arcana you hear cited by our announcers?  Those pithy graphics?  They don’t fall out of the sky.  Even when data can be summoned from the mind – from a past winner to the size of a stadium to the number of fizzy waters consumed at last year’s tournament — it’s always best to double-check.  And in the TV world, amid a live broadcast, it’s not so easy to hunt it down on the Internet.  So here’s one of many tools that help our cause, the annual, jumbo-sized AO Media Guide.  Yes, I have dozens of these in my office at home – years, tours, events.  And yes, they are scattered, organized just well enough so that only I can find them.  The spiral bounding makes it exceptionally functional.  Delicious.

Matches of Intrigue

Naomi Osaka vs. Johanna Konta

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 17: Serena Williams of the United States prepares to return serve in her first round match against Belinda Bencic of Switzerland on day two of the 2017 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 17, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

The six-time Australian Open champion in search of her record 23rd Grand Slam singles title has beaten the Czech player all nine times they’ve met, including the 2015 French Open final.

But Safarova, ranked 61st, saved nine match points in the second set of her first-round match here against Yanina Wickmayer before advancing 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-1.

So Williams may need to be patient, or ruthless, in the match which opens night play at Rod Laver Arena.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 18: Roger Federer of Switzerland celebrates winning his second round match against Noah Rubin of the United States on day three of the 2017 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 18, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

After back-to-back wins over qualifiers, the degree of difficulty in his comeback from a six-month injury layoff will increase exponentially. Next up he faces former Wimbledon champion Tomas Berdych, who had a 6-3, 7-6 (6), 6-2 win over Ryan Harrison.

Also looming, potentially, is No. 5 Kei Nishikori, the 2014 U.S. Open finalist, who set up a third-round match against Lukas Lacko with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 win over Jeremy Chardy.

Federer didn’t play after his semifinal exit at Wimbledon last year, resting his injured left knee. He returned at the Hopman Cup exhibition in Perth this month, and opened at Melbourne Park with a straight-sets win over another 35-year-old veteran, Jurgen Melzer.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 16: Angelique Kerber of Germany celebrates in her first round match against Lesia Tsurenko of the Ukraine on day one of the 2017 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 16, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Kerber, who beat Serena Williams in the Australian Open final last year, then won the U.S. Open in September, was her own worst enemy in the tiebreaker, double-faulting twice to turn a 3-2 lead into a 4-3 deficit.

Witthoeft, who had won a long rally which caused Kerber to swipe her racket toward the court just ahead of the double faults, won the next three points to level the match.

Kerber also started poorly in the third set, dropping her service, but rebounded to take a 4-1 lead, saving two break points in the fifth game, before closing out the match in 2 hours, 8 minutes.

Japan's Kei Nishikori celebrates after defeating France's Jeremy Chardy in their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Fifth seed Nishikori defeated Chardy 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.

More to come…

The 36-year-old, seven-time major winner played the first of her record 73 Grand Slam tournaments at the French Open in 1997. Back then, she got to play against the likes of Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova.

Against the 26-year-old Voegele at the Australian Open on Wednesday, Williams mixed up her game, clearly not intent on relying only on the kind of power game that helped her make a mark on the sport. She won 6-3, 6-2, hitting 24 winners and getting five service breaks.

“I have to talk about this every interview,” Williams said in reply to what has become a regular post-match question to the oldest player in the women’s draw here. “I’ve played some of the greats.

“It’s an honor and privilege to start that young,” she added, laughing, “and play this old.”

In the second set, serving and with a game point, she chased the ball like a teenager from one side of the court to the other, and back, trying to finish off. Her forehand landed too long, but her intention was clear. Get through the round ASAP. She won the subsequent two points to hold.

Djokovic: ‘When I saw the draw, I thought to myself this is the only match to focus on because my tournament could finish early.’ #AusOpen

— George Bellshaw (@BellshawGeorge) January 17, 2017

As you can see Djokovic was as nervous about this match as I was as a fan. Verdasco is not the name you want to see next to your name in the first round of the Australian Open. When his game is on he is top five material.

But he is mentally extremely fragile which is why he never consistently performed. That said, Djokovic did extremely well to defeat him 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-2. The first set was very good from Djokovic while Verdasco appeared nervous as he kept shanking forehands.

In the second set, Verdasco seemed to settle down a bit as he went a break up twice but couldn’t consolidate on either occasion. This was a dangerous time for Djokovic because had Verdasco held onto a break and won the second set there was no telling what could happen.

Enter the Tennis Factory

Check out this unassuming blue door.  Seems like nothing, correct?  But enter it and you are in the thick of the Australian Open’s broadcasting compound, where television networks from all corners of the globe are gathered to air the tournament.  Those of us working here trek around the compound all day like any other workplace – along with time in the broadcast booth, on the grounds of the tournament and beyond.  Here also, a shot inside Tennis Channel’s control room.  What Willie Wonka was to making confections, this spot is to making tennis on TV.  Take a big bite, mate.

Matches of Intrigue:

Nick Kyrgios vs. Andreas Seppi

Williams, a 22-time Grand Slam champion and the No.2 seed behind Angelique Kerber on the women’s side, took advantage of a mid-match surge, reeling off seven games in a row from 4-all in the first set to build a 6-4 5-0 lead and eventually closing out former No.7 Belinda Bencic, 6-4 6-3.

“She’s a really good player, so I think I was able to start out well,” Williams, who improved to 65-1 in her career in the first round of Grand Slams, said afterwards. “I made a few errors on some key points, but for the most part, I still was going for everything, and I was able to close it out.”

Next up for Williams will be former No.5 Lucie Safarova, who pulled off a miraculous 3-6 7-6(7) 6-1 victory over Yanina Wickmayer. She saved nine match points in a dramatic second set, tying the record for most match points saved to win a match at a major in the Open Era, men or women.

Nadal followed Williams on Laver and had few problems with Florian Mayer, outclassing the crafty German in straight sets, 6-3 6-4 6-4. The Spaniard, a 14-time Grand Slam champion and the No.9 seed this fortnight, served impeccably – he didn’t face a single break point the entire match.

“When I win my serve, there are two things,” Nadal said after the match. “Obviously, you need to serve well. Most important thing, I’m not a player who wins my serve because I serve aces or free points. When I’m winning a lot of serves it’s because I’m playing well from the baseline. That’s why.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 16: Roger Federer of Switzerland waves to the crowd as he leaves the court after victory in his first round match against Jurgen Melzer of Austria on day one of the 2017 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 16, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Of the 17 titles captured by Roger Federer, who plays American qualifier Noah Rubin at Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday, four have been at Melbourne Park. Although he hasn’t lifted the trophy here since 2010.

Venus Williams, who will play Stefanie Voegele to open play on Rod Laver – has seven major titles. Others in action Wednesday are top-ranked Andy Murray and No. 4 Stan Wawrinka (3 majors each), defending champion Angelique Kerber and Svetlana Kuznetsova (2 each) and Marin Cilic and Garbine Muguruza, who have each won one major.

Novak Djokovic, who has 12 Grand Slam titles of his own and is on the other side of the Australian Open draw, was quick to praise Federer as the Swiss star prepared to return from a six-month injury layoff.