The player who left Novak Djokovic stunned at the Brisbane International has argued the all-time great is now at a major disadvantage because of his standing in the game. The Serbian was surprisingly beaten at the quarter-final stage by world No.293 Reilly Opelka, ending his quest for an 100th ATP title.
In a tight first set, the big-serving American came through 8-6 in a tie-break before wrapping up the second set 6-3.
And after winning in around one hour and 40 minutes, Opelka said he benefited from going into the clash with no expectation on him.
Djokovic is the greatest tennis player ever but it’s difficult being in his position,” he said. “The reality is we have nothing to lose against him, so you end up playing more freely and taking a lot more risks because it’s your only chance. If you play your normal level, he wins every time.
“I just focused on hitting my spots (with his serving). If I hit my spots, it is hard to get it back, but if anyone can, it is him. And I was ready for that if it happened.”
Opelka’s last title came at the US Clay Court Championships in 2022. But he’s since spent almost two years on the sidelines after undergoing hip and wrist surgeries, and conceded that he spent much of that period watching Djokovic take his Grand Slam tally to 24.
It was tough. There were a lot of uncertainties and doubt,” he added. “I watched a lot of my friends on TV which was fun, motivating and kept me interested in the sport. I also watched Novak become the greatest during that period.”
Djokovic took the defeat with good grace. He posted a photo of the pair’s post-match handshake to his Instagram story and wrote: “Amazing tennis, Reilly. Absolutely deserved. Good luck.”
Opelka will now play France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the final four. He was not at his best against Jakub Mensik but eventually came through 7-5 7-6, with Jiri Lehecka facing Grigor Dimitrov in the other semi-final.
Djokovic meanwhile, will now turn to his focus to prevailing at the Australian Open for the 11th time. He’s added Andy Murray to his coaching staff both for the build-up and during the tournament at Melbourne Park, which gets underway on January 12.
The 37-year-old was competing in his first official ATP event since finishing runner-up at the Shanghai Masters in October. And prior to reaching the last-eight he had impressed in Queensland, coming through games with Ricky Hijikata and Gael Monfils without losing a set.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk