Without playing an official match since October 2023, Novak Djokovic It’s having a hard time degreasing. After having fun in doubles with Nick Kyrgios and adding an individual victory against his all-time favorite victim, Gael Monfils, whom he has beaten on the twenty occasions in which they have faced each other, the Serbian ended up losing his nerve against a Reilly Opelka27 years old and 211 centimeters tall, who took him off the court with cannon shots (7-6 (6) and 6-3 in one hour and 40 minutes). Thus, Djokovic finishes this preparation tournament for the Australian Open with three matches and some doubts, and postpones the 100th title until the next time, now in the first Grand Slam of the year.
Djokovic and Opelka greet each other at the net after the match
It was a defeat that may surprise, but there are reasons, since the Serbian needs competition rhythm to oil his body, his head and his tennis, and Opelka is a player who does not offer any of that. On the contrary, he shows prodigious power on the serve and his strategy involves the points of two exchanges rather than four. Hence, the one from Belgrade could do nothing more than hold his serve, and he suffered for it, and wait for a mistake from his rival, who did not have one. Especially in that tie break in which he improved his first shot to complete 16 aces, compared to 8 for the Serbian.
He overcame three break options at 5-4, but ended up without a prize in that outcome, which caused a drop in mood for the second set, in which Opelka broke for 3-1 and no longer stopped. True to his style, he finished the match with another ‘ace’. The American is 293rd in the world, although he competes with a ranking protected by a knee injury that kept him out of the circuit since August 2022, and to which he returned last July.
Djokovic aspires this year to fill his showcase a little more. Last year he won the Olympic gold medal, but he ran out of energy for anything else, his progress at Roland Garros and Wimbledon being shortened by that knee that he had surgery on in June and from which he quickly recovered. His zero titles on the ATP court (non-Olympic) had only been seen in 2005, when the Serbian was still to do.
Two decades later, the Serbian aspires to that 100th title, which would elevate him even more, and would place him only three behind Roger Federer and nine behind Jimmy Connors, who are still ahead in the few records that Djokovic has not set. in the history of men’s tennis.
With this option destroyed in Brisbane, his closest hope lies in the Australian Open, which begins next January 12 and which would catapult him to 25 Grand Slams, one more than Margaret Court, who still shares the top spot with him. list. In addition, it would mean the Serbian’s eleventh crown in Melbourne.
Opelka’s next rival will be Giovanni Mpetshi Perricardwith whom he shares the direct, hard and dizzying style, and a supersonic serve. The Frenchman completed 19 aces in his victory against Jakub Mensik (7-5 and 7-6 (5)).
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