Novak Djokovic is all set to take on fellow Serbian, Laslo Djere in the Round of 32 of the US Open 2023 in the evening session on Friday. The 23-time Grand Slam champion seems to be in good form to make it big in this year’s edition in New York City. However, many Djokovic supporters were in shock when the person who took his interview after his Round of 64 win.
It was none other former Australian tennis player and now broadcaster, Rennae Stubbs. Stubbs is infamous for trashing Novak Djokovic publicly in the past multiple times for different reasons. While Djokovic hasn’t responded to those and rather agreed to abide by the tournament’s protocols of giving the interview, the controversy is expected to extend further in Stubbs’ presence on Friday.
Novak Djokovic-Laslo Djere match a perfect response to Rennae Stubbs’ comments
In one of her podcasts earlier this year, Rennae Stubbs was extremely critical about Novak Djokovic despite the World No.2 coming back strongly to win the Australian Open. Stubbs made what many fans consider ‘xenophobic’ comments on Serbia, accusing its citizens of ‘victim mentality’ which included Djokovic. She brought up a political angle, claiming that she observed Serbian fans of Djokovic in the Melbourne crowd wearing pro-Russia or pro-Putin shirts, to support the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
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However, a large part of the Serbian population has had to deal with adversity over the years courtesy healthcare crisis, wars, economic crisis, invasions, earthquakes and so on. Novak Djokovic is one of them and another is his next opponent, Laslo Djere. Novak Djokovic, in a recent interview with ATP Tour, heaped praises on his countryman graciously and he was quoted as saying –
“He (Djere) did have a lot of struggles with his family and private issues, had to endure all of that. So it says a lot about his mental resilience. He’s, as I said, a very nice guy, very humble. Just very quiet. Just goes about his things, works as hard as anybody and tries his best.
“He’s really dedicated to the game. I really like him as a person and as a player, as well.”
Djere lost both his parents by the age of 23 due to cancer. So he when he clinched an ATP 500 title in Brazil in 2019, he dedicated that win to them emotionally. Now that he has gradually and quietly risen to World No.38 in the ATP rankings, he has come a long way since being Novak Djokovic’s doubles partner in the Dubai Open back in 2015 when he was playing junior tennis. Djere is equally respectful towards Djokovic, who he has the privilege of knowing and playing from close quarters because of also playing for Serbia in the Davis Cup over the years.
The 28-year-old though, is admirably very confident of giving Novak Djokovic a hard time, although it is unexpected by many. He was quoted as saying –
“I will try and just prepare as for any other match. I think that’s the key and not to be stressed about who will be my next opponent, the guy who is probably the best of all time. I will really just try to approach it as every other match, as the third round of the US Open. My goal is to go out on the court and fight for every point and play my best tennis. I think that will be the key against Novak.”
“The good game is the result of many, many hours of practice. And it’s hard work. And sometimes you also need a little bit of luck, a little bit of a push. Now, I’m feeling great. I feel confident I am showing good tennis in the last couple of months. And obviously, when you have confidence, things tend to go much easier on the court.”
Djere remembers the only time he played Djokovic
Laslo Djere has had the experience of also playing Novak Djokovic as an opponent. It was last year on their home soil in Belgrade on clay. It was an ATP 250 event and a Round of 16 match, which Djokovic prevailed in. However, the scoreline read 2-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4).
That match might make Novak Djokovic have some insights on his opponent. But Laslo Djere isn’t concerned since he modestly credited his win to the legend not being at his best at the time. He continued –
“Obviously he wasn’t in his best form back then. But again, I proved to myself that I can play with him and many other times also when I played Top 10 guys that I can play with those guys. For sure they are on a different level, especially Novak. But I think I can have a good match with him. And he’s playing now much better than back then. So I will not rely too much on that experience last year. I will just try to focus on this match.”
It will be interesting to see whether the broadcasters again assign Rennae Stubbs as the post-match interviewer for the upcoming all-Serbian clash. This would be the perfect revenge for Serbian and Djokovic supporters who are angered by her views on their country and favourite player both. Apart from that, the Novak Djokovic vs Laslo Djere live streaming is all set to begin at 8.15 PM EST on Friday. It will be available on Fubo or on ESPN. At the time of writing this report, Djere was leading 6-4, 6-4, 0-1.
