A giant fills Djokovic with doubts in Australia

Novak Djokovic will not find his 100th title at the ATP Brisbane 2025. In his path stood a long-dormant giant who seems ready to awaken after a calvary of serious injuries. His name is Reilly Opelka, who executed the Serbian with great precision not only in his serves but also with a lethal forehand (7-6(6), 6-3), leaving the Balkan in a state of uncertainty before the Australian Open and ensuring a showdown of deadly bombers in the semifinals against Mpetshi Perricard.

We had a feeling that this could potentially be a trap match for Novak. Due to the excessive comfort from his two previous encounters against opponents (Hijikata and Monfils) who barely pose a threat; because of the time that has passed since Opelka, who considered quitting tennis due to injuries months ago, had competed neck and neck with the best, and because of the danger that a big server can pose on the fast Australian courts.

Normally Novak is an expert at counteracting this type of player, but the Serbian is not currently at the speed and explosiveness required. Is it a matter of time, a passing phase typical of the early stages of the season? Is it a permanent issue, attributed to his age and the challenging balance between training weeks and family rest weeks? Only time will be able to answer this question. And the time spent in the first set of this evening in Brisbane was leading us to a common denominator: the serve.

Neither hesitated with their serves in the first set, with few long exchanges and not much pace. In that state of uncertainty, Reilly handled himself impeccably, while Djokovic also seemed unfazed with a good balance between aces and shots directed to his opponent's backhand. However, when the American decided to raise the level and found a rhythm with his returns, Djokovic couldn't keep up. Despite saving three break points that smelled like set points, the tiebreak saw a much sharper Reilly, conceding little with his serve and displaying tremendous confidence in attacking short balls. It was just the prelude to an exceptional second set.

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Djokovic was stunned by a blow that few probably expected. Opelka, on the other hand, realized that today was the day to achieve something great. With over 80% of first serves in, the North American saw that he didn't even need to serve like a monster to secure the second set. Djokovic's doubts began to rise in a slow start that saw him make several errors with a shaky forehand.

The forehand exchanges favored Opelka, who began injecting extra venom into his shots; the tactic of hitting weightless backhands ceased to work, with Reilly also standing firm in his weaker zone. That extra confidence in his returns allowed the giant to break early, which would define the course of the second set: beyond achieving the break, the way he achieved it (with counterattacks and recoveries more typical of a defensive player) made it clear that he had found a total state of grace...and there was very little Nole could do to solve it.

The defeat leaves Djokovic in a place of uncertainty heading into Melbourne. There were not excessive signs of frustration, only some expressions of suffering (albeit mild) during occasional breaks due to the stifling Australian humidity. A golden opportunity to claim his 100th title has slipped away for Nole, but what perhaps generates the most uncertainty among fans is the lack of liveliness and speed in his shots from the baseline, especially on the forehand side. There are players more than capable of punishing him in two weeks where physical effort is monumental...Andy Murray should be ready because there is still a lot of work to be done.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Un gigante llena de dudas a Djokovic en Australia