Novak Djokovic suffered a massive upset at the Brisbane International on Friday.
Competing in his first tournament since October, Djokovic was dumped out in the quarter-final.
Reilly Opelka, whose ranking has dropped to No. 293 following a two-year injury layoff, caused all sorts of problems for the Serb, winning 7-6(6) 6-3.
Djokovic advanced to the last eight with ease, dropping just 12 games in his first two matches. But he knew 6’11 Opelka would prove to be a dangerous opponent.
After his second-round win on Thursday, the world No. 7 said: “Opelka has been injured, couple years he struggled a lot. Great guy off the court, we get on well. I’ve never faced him on the court. My gosh, I’m going to have to probably step back a few steps for that first serve.”
Opelka’s huge serve made it impossible for Djokovic to break him. The 37-year-old was made to work at the end of the first set, saving three break points.
But Opelka refused to go away and, after 58 minutes, he pounced to take the first set in a tiebreak. Djokovic had a chance to take the lead in the second set but he blew his only break point in the third game and it proved costly.
The former world No. 17 continued to put Djokovic in tricky spots, responding perfectly by breaking in the next game. He kept on rolling through with his huge serve, getting the job done in straight sets.
With the victory, Opelka becomes the lowest-ranked man in tournament history to reach the semi-final. It’s also his first win over a top-10 player since the Canadian Open in 2021.
After embracing one another at the net, the pair had a lengthy, inaudible discussion. Afterwards, Opelka paid tribute to his opponent and lauded Djokovic as the GOAT. “He’s the greatest Tennis player this sport has ever seen,” the world No. 293 started.
“It’s difficult being in Novak’s position, he can scout me or his other opponents all day long but the reality is we have nothing to lose coming up against him.
“He’s the greatest player ever so you end up playing more free and you end up going, you take a lot more risk because it’s your only chance.
“If you play your normal level or even above your normal level, he’s going to win every time. It’s tough in his position because he gets guys that are good players that will roll the dice on a day like this, things go my way and that’s how it works out.”
Opelka will now face another tall server in 6’8 Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard as he bids to reach the final. It’s a huge opportunity for the American, who spent two years on the sidelines and had multiple surgeries.
Reflecting on his time away from the court, he continued: “It was tough. A lot of uncertainty, a lot of doubt. I definitely watched a lot of my friends on TV – watched Tommy [Paul] and Taylor [Fritz] and Ben [Shelton] and Frances [Tiafoe] do great which was fun and also motivating for me.
“It definitely kept me interested in the sport. I watched Novak become the greatest in the two-year period off. You ask yourself, ‘What would Novak be doing in my situation?’ Even when you’re in a sleeve you’re always trying to maximise and I think that’s the effect he’s had on the sport.”
While Opelka can be more than happy with his huge result in Brisbane, his focus is firmly on the upcoming Australian Open. “The big show is in a week. Obviously this is great, this is all preperation for Melbourne, this was just a step along the way,” he added.
Swiss
