5 things to know about Denis Istomin's shocking upset of Djokovic

Denis Istomin notched the signature win of his career Thursday, an absolute stunner over world No. 2 and six-time Australian Open champ Novak Djokovic in the second round in Melbourne.

To say the result came out of left field would be an insult to left fields everywhere. Left field is a place we all know exists, and though things that hit us from that vicinity leave us feeling blindsided from time to time, we at least make allowances for their possibility. Istomin's win came from someplace we didn't even know about; somewhere not on the same diamond, or in the same stadium, or in the same universe. This was among the most unthinkable, unprecedented upsets in the sport's history.

The 117th-ranked Uzbekistani journeyman has blown open the section of the draw formerly known as the Djokovic quarter, and dramatically altered the landscape of the tournament in one fell swoop. Here are five things to know about his big win.

It was close to statistically impossible

Let's run through some of the batty numbers here, player by player:

• Djokovic hadn't lost this early at a Slam since losing the second round of Wimbledon to Marat Safin in 2008.
• He hadn't lost a match after being up two sets to one since Jurgen Melzer bear him in the 2010 French Open quarterfinals.
• He'd never lost to a player outside the top 100 at a major, having won his first 33 such matches. It was just the second time in the past seven years he's lost at any tournament to a player ranked that low.
• He's the first top-two seed to fall short of the third round in Melbourne since 2002, and just the fourth top-two seed in the Open era to lose to a wild card at a Slam.

• Istomin had just one top-10 win in his career entering the match (1-33), and it was over David Ferrer back in 2012. He was 0-19 lifetime against top-four players.
• He came in 0-5 lifetime against Djokovic, having lost 12 of 13 sets.
• He's coming off perhaps the worst year of his career. He played the bulk of his second half last season on the Challenger circuit, and even there, he could not win a title. Excluding qualifying, he won just six tour-level matches in 2016, and lost in the first round of 17 of the 22 tournaments he entered.
• He'd lost in the first round of seven of the previous nine Slams he played.

Istomin won this as much as Djokovic lost it

Typically, when a player as good as Djokovic loses to one as, well, not good as Istomin, it's because the better player suffered a letdown, an injury, or some other manner of mental and physical collapse. But this match saw Istomin ascend to a higher plane more than it saw Djokovic cast down to a lower one.

Istomin hit confidently and courageously, and never stopped aiming for the lines, undeterred by the errors that tactic often produced. He came up with huge serves precisely when he needed them. He hit 63 winners and 17 aces. He used the whole court, and made Djokovic uncomfortable with the depth and downward trajectory of his strokes. And he looked shockingly relaxed throughout, always going for his shots in big moments, winning both tiebreakers, and refusing to allow Djokovic even a single break point in the final set.

The match looked all but over after Djokovic - who dropped the first set - saved set points before winning the second, and then took the third in a breeze. But somebody forgot to tell Istomin, who just kept coming. It was an inspired performance.

That said ...

Djokovic still lost it

As well as Istomin played, Djokovic could have, and probably should have, won the match. But he was oddly tentative, eschewing opportunities to step up and take control of points, allowing himself to be put on the defensive. He reverted to the slice on his backhand side an alarming amount, and bailed out of rallies with risky and ill-conceived drop shots. He landed just 58 percent of his first serves, double-faulted nine times, and sprayed 72 unforced errors.

The relentless, fluid, indomitable Djokovic who's been historically successful in Melbourne, who'd come into the tournament having won it five times in the previous six years, was nowhere to be found. Nor was it just his game that was conspicuously lacking. He looked disengaged, and played without any of his trademark tempestuousness; without his fire or passion, his shirt-rending lunacy or win-at-all-costs desperation. He didn't berate his box, or try to fire himself up, or bellow to the heavens after winning big points. He was a blank, and his former coach seemed to take notice.

It all fed the perception that there's something going on with Djokovic - that all isn't quite right in his world.

"It was one of these days when you don't feel that great on the court, don't have much rhythm, and the player you're playing against is feeling the ball very well," he said after the match. "That's sport."

The next few months could tell us a great deal about where this is all headed.

Istomin nearly failed to qualify for the tournament

Istomin earned a wild card into the Aussie Open by winning an Asia-Pacific playoff in early December. And against 319th-ranked Prajnesh Gunneswaran in the semifinals, he had to ward off three match points on his way to a 6-2, 1-6, 11-9 win.

The third match point he saved, he saved by a hair's breadth. Literally.

A few weeks later, he's into the third round at the tournament he qualified for, having sent the six-time champ packing. Such are the margins of tennis.

'First of all, I feel sorry for Novak'

That's the first thing Istomin said in his on-court interview, moments after clinching the biggest win of his life by 10 country miles. Denis Istomin, who has exactly one 250-level ATP title to his name, effectively apologized for beating Novak Djokovic, 12-time major champion, career Grand Slam holder, Aussie Open overlord, and one of the most decorated players of all time.

"I was playing so good today. I mean, I surprised myself as well," Istomin said sheepishly, before thanking his mother, who is also his coach.

Djokovic, for his part, was deferential in defeat.

"Whenever he needed to, he came up with a big serve, a big play. All I can say is hats off," the world No. 2 said. "Him playing this well, it's amazing. He played obviously above his level. You got to give him credit for that. Many things came together for him today.

"He's a well-deserved winner."