An excellent begin for Novak Djokovic within the new season: the Serb is looking for his finest kind on the Brisbane Worldwide, to be able to play the Australian Open.
The victory towards Hijikata has introduced the Serbian champion to qualify for the spherical of 16, the place he’ll meet the Frenchman Gael Monfils. A really specific problem: the 2 have confronted one another 19 occasions of their profession and the Serbian champion has all the time gained.
On Thursday 2 January 2025, due to this fact, the previous ATP number one can add one other victory to the gathering towards the Frenchman and even attain 20.
“I hope he continues the series of consecutive successes and the unbeaten run against Gael,” stated Nole on the press convention, speaking in regards to the subsequent match that awaits him.
Novak Djokovic, Brisbane 2025© Stream screenshot
“I saw him in the locker room after our matches and we talked about it. He’s a year older than me, but he’s still strong. He’s always been one of the best athletes we have on the tour for agility, speed, strength. He’s just exceptional. Last year he beat Alcaraz in Cincinnati, who has a very similar surface speed to here.
So if you serve well and you can put pressure on your opponent, you become a tough nut to crack. He showed incredible agility and great defense, Gael is also very intelligent at the net. He’s been an all-round athlete for many years and it’s great to be able to play against him again at this level, like veterans of the game. It’ll be fun,” he added in entrance of the media.
The quarter-finals within the ATP 250 in Brisbane might be up for grabs, in addition to precious factors for the world rating. The gang is hoping for an entertaining battle, filled with attention-grabbing photographs from the 2 champions: after all, Nole is the clear favourite of the match.