NOVAK DJOKOVIC has suffered a shock straight sets defeat to 6ft 11in giant Reilly Opelka at the Brisbane International.
The Serb, 37, is seeking a record-extending 11th Australian Open men’s singles title and 25th Grand Slam in Melbourne later this month.
In 2024, he ended the year without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2017.
And Djokovic fans will be concerned about his form heading into his favourite Slam, the Australian Open, following defeat to world No293 Opelka in the quarter-finals in Brisbane.
American Opelka, 27, whose best Grand Slam performance came at the 2021 US Open when he reached the fourth round, claimed a stunning 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 victory over Djokovic.
He overpowered the Olympic gold medallist with 16 aces to his opponent’s eight on the way to a memorable win.
Opelka did reach 17th in the world in February 2022 but this result still comes as a huge shock.
The towering Michigan-born star has played just one match in three years due to injury problems, but has hit the ground running on his return to the court with a breathtaking victory.
Opelka, tied with Ivo Karlovic as the tallest ever ATP-ranked tennis player, will now face Giovani Mpetshi Perricard in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Djokovic will be hoping the defeat is merely a blip in his Australian Open preparations.
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He was knocked out in the semi-finals of last year’s edition by eventual winner Jannik Sinner.
Djokovic is third favourite to lift the trophy behind Sinner and French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz.
His last Slam title came at the 2023 US Open when he beat Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to lift the trophy in New York.
But he did manage his biggest goal of 2024 when he beat Alcaraz to win gold at the Paris Olympics last summer.
