After 9 years, Novak Djokovic has lost against an American tennis player. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was defeated by Reilly Opelka, who beat him with aces in the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International.
As mentioned, for the Serbian champion, a streak that was almost impossible to imagine, considering the great level that American tennis players have reached, has been interrupted in the last few hours.
In fact, the 24-time Grand Slam champion had won 34 matches in a row against Americans. The last defeat dates back to Wimbledon 2016, when he fell to Sam Querrey.
Novak Djokovic & Reilly Opelka, Brisbane 2025© Stream screenshot
Opelka, in the post-match interview, expressed all his pride for this historic victory, which repays him for all the sacrifices after a long period away from the court due to injury.
“Novak is the greatest tennis player this sport has ever seen. It’s hard to be in Novak’s position, because we really have nothing to lose when we play against him. He’s the greatest ever, so you can play more freely and take your risks. If you play at a normal level or a little bit above, he’s going to win.
It was tough, I had a lot of doubts. I watched Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton on TV do great things and it was fun and motivating. I watched Novak become the greatest in my two years off. I asked myself: What would Novak do in my position?
That’s the impact that Nole had on our sport. I never gave up and I kept running when I was on crutches and I just hoped I would have another chance like I had tonight,” analyzed the American, with great honesty at the end of the match won against the Serbian champion.
Tennis World USA