Novak Djokovic is set to take on one of his biggest fans in the last-32 of the Shanghai Open. The Serbian icon overcame American Alex Michelsen in an unexpectedly tight contest, being taken all the way in both sets before prevailing 7-6 7-6.
He’ll now face the rising Italian star Flavio Cobolli on Tuesday, with the 22-year-old having made no secret of his admiration for the man 15 years his senior.
Cobolli has already overcome one experienced star this week, beating Stan Wawrinka 6-7 7-6 6-3 in his own frst-round clash.
Afterwards, he appeared to relish his upcoming meeting with Djokovic, despite his status as a huge underdog. “He’s my idol from when I started to play tennis,” he said. “I grew up watching videos of his matches. I still go to sleep thinking of his shots, so it’s great to play against him and I want to enjoy every point on this court.”
His comments come just weeks after Cobolli, who reached the third-round of the US Open last month, admitted he tries to copy the 24-time Grand Slam champion during his matches. After beating Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Canadian Open, he said: “I’ve always had Nole as a reference player.
“I try to imitate him there too. It’s not just his technique that I like, I like his mentality. I also try to take these little things as examples of what he says during the conference. Since he explained how he transformed the support of a crowd for his opponent positively, I have applied this method.”
Cobolli previously spoke up for Djokovic in early 2022, after he was controversially deported home from Victoria just a day before the Australian Open began. “Novak Djokovic is my idol. He is going through a difficult time, but he will always remain my idol,” he told Tennis World Italia.
“Among the big three (including Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer), he is the one I feel closest to. Because we like to defend but also to counter-attack and we both respond well.”
Djokovic did return for the tournament in 2023, with Cobolli failing to qualify before finally making his Melbourne Park debut this year. And he’s also hailed the influence of the former No.1 on him when he was allowed back down under.
“For us, it’s important to have Nole in the tour,” he said. “He’s the No. 1 for me, my idol. I hope to see him in Australia and also play some points and some practice there.”
Cobolli is currently enjoying a career high world ranking of No.30, but is still seeking his first ATP Tour title win. The 28th seed came into Shanghai off the back of a strong showing at the China Open though, reaching the quarter-final before losing to Daniil Medvedev.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk