Novak Djokovic will head into the Australian Open with just two singles match wins under his belt following a shock loss to Reilly Opelka at the Brisbane International.
On the comeback trail after a string of injury issues in recent seasons, world No 293 Opelka shocked the top seed and 24-time Grand Slam winner 7-6(6), 6-3 in a stirring display.
The big-serving American saved the only break point against him and, after converting a second set point in the first-set tiebreak, needed just one break of serve in the second set to seal victory.
“I just focused on my spots,” said Opelka, when asked about closing out the match.
“If I hit them, it’s hard to get them back. If there’s anyone that can, it’s him [Djokovic] and I was ready for that. It’s not the end of the world if I get broken there.
“He’s the greatest tennis player the world’s ever seen. It’s difficult, being in Novak’s position. You can scout me or his other opponents all day long, but the reality is we have nothing to lose coming in against him.
“You end up playing more free and you do things that, you take a lot more risk – because it’s your only chance.”
Opelka will face Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard next for a place in the final, in a semi-final clash set to be dominated by huge serving.
Meanwhile, second seed and defending champion Grigor Dimitrov will face the unseeded Jiri Lehecka in his quest to win a third title at the ATP 250 event.
For Djokovic, the loss could be a tough one to take after admitting his “confidence” was high in his return game heading into this quarterfinal.
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The former world No 1 had not lost serve in his first two matches and had also broken both Rinky Hijikata and Gael Monfils three times, in rounds one and two respectively.
Widely recognised as the greatest returner in men’s tennis history, Djokovic has a sublime record against big servers but was rarely able to make an impact in this contest.
Opelka was the most potent on return, not only sealing the only break of the contest but also creating five break point chances – compared to just one for Djokovic.
Djokovic will now head to Melbourne, where he will look to fine-tune his game ahead of the Australian Open.
Action at the first Grand Slam event of the year begins on January 12th, with Djokovic looking to win a record-extending 11th title at the tournament – and a 25th Grand Slam singles title.
This defeat may temper expectations on the Serbian heading into the event, with Djokovic set to be the seventh seed in Melbourne.
He will be attempting to return to Grand Slam-winning ways after failing to win a major in 2024 – his first such season since 2017.
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