Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic,who is a 24-time winner of the Grand Slam tournaments, sensationally lost in two sets to the 293rd racket of the world Reilly Opelka from the USA.
The tennis players' game took place as part of the quarterfinals of the ATP 250 tournament in Brisbane and ended with the American's victory with a score of 7:6 (8:6), 6:3.
Djokovic's sensational defeat in Brisbane
The tennis players spent 1 hour and 41 minutes on the court. In the first set, with the fight even, the Serb lost in a tiebreak, and in the second, the fourth game was decisive, in which Opelka scored a break.
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For Opelka, this is the biggest victory in his career to date. The American occupies a whopping 293rd place in the ATP rankings, while 37-year-old Djokovic is seventh.
— He is the most outstanding tennis player the sport has ever seen. It's hard to be in Novak's shoes, he can study me or other opponents all day long, but the reality is that we have nothing to lose when we go up against him, said Opelka after the victory.
The 27-year-old American has won four ATP 250 tournaments during his career, and his highest ranking was 17th in 2022.
Djokovic — Opelka: video review of the match
As Sky Sports notes, for the tennis legend, this “shocking” defeat is far from ideal preparation for the first Grand Slam tournament in 2025 — The Australian Open tennis championship, which starts on January 12.
The Serb is a ten-time Australian Open winner, most recently in 2023.
