Rinky Hijikata, an Australian of Japanese descent, will be the first opponent for Novak Djokovic in the new season. The world’s best tennis player is the first seed at the Brisbane 250 series, while Hindžikata received a wild card as he is ranked 73rd on the ATP list.
The two have never met before and Novak will have a lot of running and long points, as his 23-year-old opponent is 1.78 meters tall and has excellent movement. Djokovic has already arrived in Australia and completed his first training sessions.
If Brisbane doesn’t start with a big sensation, Djokovic could cross rackets with an old acquaintance in the second round. Gael Monfils, the French veteran, against whom Djokovic has recorded a record 19 wins in as many matches, will have the qualifier as his first opponent.
The quarterfinals would give Novak a chance for revenge for an unpleasant defeat at the US Open. Then, exhausted from winning Olympic gold, he was eliminated in the third round by Australian Alexei Popyrin, and now he is on his way. One of the possible rivals in the quarterfinals is Reilly Opelka, the American who is returning to the court after a long injury break.
Frances Tiafoe or Sebastian Korda, the fourth and fifth seeds from the USA, are projected to be opponents in the semifinals, while the final could be very attractive. The main candidates to face Djokovic in the fight for the trophy are Holger Rune and Grigor Dimitrov.
PROČITAJTE VIŠE:
Of the first-round duels, the most attention is drawn to the clash between Nick Kyrgios, who is returning to the court after a long break, and Giovanni Perera, a phenomenal server from France. At 2.03 meters tall, Perera is an ace machine. The winner of this match will face Tiafoe in the second round.
Projected quarterfinal pairings when seeds are crossed: Djokovic (1) – Popirin (7), Tiafoe (4) – Korda (5), Tabilo (6) – Rune (3) and Thompson (8) – Dimitrov (2).
Of the Serbian tennis players, only Dusan Lajovic is participating, but in the qualifiers. In the first round, the Australian Hul retired while leading the Serb 5:7, 7:5, 2:0, and his next opponent will be the winner of the match Blanchet (France) – Gomez (11, Argentina). If he wins this match as well, Lajovic will enter the main draw.
The prize money is $766,290, with the champion’s check amounting to $96,985.
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Source: Sport Klub, Photo: EPA-EFE/ALEX PLAVEVSKI