Novak Djokovic on the challenge of playing an up-and-coming opponent | ATP Tour

Match Reaction

The kids are alright… but Novak has their number!

Djokovic discusses the challenges of playing up-and-coming opponents after Faria win

January 15, 2025

For his second Australian Open match in a row, Novak Djokovic’s experience trumped the exuberance of youth on Wednesday at Melbourne Park.

The record 10-time champion overcame 21-year-old Jaime Faria 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-2 to book his third-round spot at the hard-court major. After Djokovic also needed four sets to prevail against #NextGenATP star Nishesh Basavareddy in his opening match, the Serbian was asked about the challenge of playing opponents that are just starting out on their respective tennis journeys.

“I’ve had plenty of matches in my career, particularly in the last five, seven, eight years, where I’ll play opponents that I’ve never faced before,” said the 37-year-old Djokovic at his post-match press conference after the Faria match. “On centre court, maybe their first ever centre court match in any Grand Slam, and they just come out firing, have basically nothing to lose.

“It’s always tricky to play these kinds of opponents, mentally to sustain that level. Obviously, you don’t know whether they’re maybe going to fold under the pressure of playing on the centre court or they’re actually going to go the different way, which I think both of my opponents in first and second round did: Feed off that energy and just play their lights-out tennis.

“[Today] was a great test for me. Yeah, I wish maybe I stayed a set less on the court today. Again, I’m happy with the way I ended up the match. Good fashion, good mindset. Looking forward to the next one.”

Djokovic was happy to pull through against Faria after another match in which he did not consistently produce his best level. He acknowledged that his Portuguese opponent’s aggressive approach on serve had made life particularly difficult in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

“I really like the way I started the match and finished the match,” said the record 24-time major champion. “The first and fourth set were the best. I was in control with a break up in the second, then dropped my level. Lost four games in a row. Managed to get back to the tie-break. He was the better player. I think he was firing from all cylinders.

“At one point he was difficult to play against because he was practically serving two first serves and going for his shots. Logically he was pumped when he won the second set.

“I feel like I managed to focus in the important moments and make that crucial break at 3-2 in the third. From that moment onwards, I feel like I upped my game a bit and played a really good, good fourth set. Overall another big test. Another three-hour match, back-to-back against the youngsters. Congratulations to him for a great battle. He’s really a good player that has a lot of potential, as has [Basavareddy].”

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Djokovic’s victory against Faria was his 430th main-draw match at Grand Slams, taking him past Roger Federer for sole ownership of the all-time record among men and women. At the other end of the experience scale at the majors is 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion Joao Fonseca, who on Tuesday played his maiden main-draw contest at that level.

The 18-year-old Fonseca only further fuelled the excitement around his talent with a stunning straight-sets win against Andrey Rublev in Melbourne. As a former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings and all-time great of the game, Djokovic was asked for his thoughts on the Brazilian’s prospects.

“I just met him for the first time, literally five minutes before I came into the room,” said Djokovic. “I congratulated him not only on the win last night that I’ve seen, the last set I’ve seen, but also everything he has been doing the last six to 12 months. I’ve been following his rise, and I just love how he plays the big points. Courageous, very clean hitter, all-around player.

“Brazil is a huge country. Super important for our sport to have a very good player coming from Brazil. I think they haven’t had a player maybe of that calibre since Guga Kuerten. It’s exciting times for Brazil, but also for the whole tennis world because such a young player and person to be able to play so good on a big stage is impressive.

“I’ve been a fan of his game. I’ve been watching him also last year. I think in one of my interviews for ATP I was saying I see some of my game there in his game, particularly when I was his age when you’re kind of carelessly going for the shots, just showing what you’re capable of. I mean, he’s got the goods definitely. He showed that last night on a big stage to go very far. Future is bright for him, no doubt, if he keeps going this way.”