After 9 years, Novak Djokovic has misplaced towards an American tennis participant. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was defeated by Reilly Opelka, who beat him with aces within the quarterfinals of the Brisbane Worldwide.
As talked about, for the Serbian champion, a streak that was nearly not possible to think about, contemplating the good stage that American tennis gamers have reached, has been interrupted in the previous few hours.
The truth is, the 24-time Grand Slam champion had gained 34 matches in a row towards Individuals. The final defeat dates again to Wimbledon 2016, when he fell to Sam Querrey.
Novak Djokovic & Reilly Opelka, Brisbane 2025© Stream screenshot
Opelka, within the post-match interview, expressed all his pleasure for this historic victory, which repays him for all of the sacrifices after a protracted interval away from the courtroom as a result of harm.
“Novak is the greatest tennis player this sport has ever seen. It’s hard to be in Novak’s position, because we really have nothing to lose when we play against him. He’s the greatest ever, so you can play more freely and take your risks. If you play at a normal level or a little bit above, he’s going to win.
It was tough, I had a lot of doubts. I watched Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton on TV do great things and it was fun and motivating. I watched Novak become the greatest in my two years off. I asked myself: What would Novak do in my position?
That’s the impact that Nole had on our sport. I never gave up and I kept running when I was on crutches and I just hoped I would have another chance like I had tonight,” analyzed the American, with nice honesty on the finish of the match gained towards the Serbian champion.
