Novak Djokovic will kick off his Australian Open title defence on Sunday, in his Round of 128 match against Croatia’s Dino Prizmic. Interestingly, Prizmic is an 18-year-old who is unseeded and in fact, a qualifier in the tournament. So he wasn’t even born when Djokovic was a few months into the ATP Tour as a professional in the first year of his career.
According to ATP, Dino Prizmic has extensively trained at a facility called Tenis Klub in Split where the likes of Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivanisevic and Mario Ancic honed their skills too. Ahead of his Australian Open main draw debut, Prizmic said about Djokovic in an interview with the governing body –
“For me every player is really good. But Djokovic has his mental strength. But I said every player is good. The stadium will be full. I just want to play my best tennis and I don’t have anything to lose and that’s it.
“I will act like it is a normal match, not very stressed. I just want to play, be relaxed and to give the best for me.”
Last year, Prizmic won the French Open boys singles title. But irrespective of Sunday’s result, he has no reason to be disheartened. Ironically, Novak Djokovic himself was 17 when he first played in the Australian Open, losing to the eventual champion, Marat Safin in straight sets in the 2005 edition.
Who all would Novak Djokovic play at the Australian Open 2024?
Many in the tennis community believe that Novak Djokovic has an easy draw at the Australian Open this year, making him again the outright favorite to defend his title. In the third round, Djokovic could take on old rival, Andy Murray if he makes it that far. The duo have had an iconic rivalry at the Australian Open especially as they clashed against each other in the finals in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016 apart from the 2012 semifinals. Although Djokovic has won all those matches, fans would feel better to see this rivalry reignited, perhaps for one final time.
If Djokovic passes the third round, he could well face his US Open 2023 semifinal opponent, Ben Shelton in the Round of 16. Shelton is an incredible talent but his recent form has been uninspiring. Combined with his inexperience, Shelton does not seem to be the man to challenge the 11-time Grand Slam champion in this tournament.
Assuming Novak Djokovic makes it to the quarterfinals, he is expected to play Stefanos Tsitsipas, his 2021 Australian Open final opponent. But Tsitsipas himself does not seem locked in for Grand Slam glory and the Greek himself needs to overcome 2021 Wimbledon finalist, Matteo Berrettini in the first round to advance.
In the semifinals, Novak Djokovic would have to battle the challenge his new nemesis, Jannik Sinner would provide once again. Many believe Sinner is the man to break Djokovic’s dominance in Melbourne this year. That could make it the World No.1’s first biggest match of this season. And should Djokovic make it to the final again, Carlos Alcaraz or Daniil Medvedev are mostly the two potential players he could face.
