Are you ready for the blockbuster showdown at the Pat Rafter Arena? The 24-time Grand Slam champion, Novak Djokovic is all set to take on America’s Reilly Opelka in the QF of the Brisbane International. Both the players are entering this contest after two impressive victories in their previous matches. Speaking about Opelka, Novak Djokovic said, “Opelka is one of the best servers on the circuit…He’s someone who has struggled a lot with injuries in recent years. My gosh, I’m going to have to probably step back a few steps for that first serve.” We’ve already seen a bit of flare from the American in the previous match, can he win the race with his aces against Djokovic, though?

Novak Djokovic vs Reilly Opelka: Preview

Novak Djokovic failed to win a title in the 2024 season. However, he did manage to clinch the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. Talking about his record in the last twelve months. Djokovic started his season reaching the SF of the AO, but over there he was defeated by Jannik Sinner in a four-set thriller. He made quite a few long runs in the rest of his tournaments and even reached the QF of the French Open and the final of the Wimbledon Championships, but he somehow failed to deliver in those big matches. However, he’s looking in good touch in Brisbane. Novak Djokovic defeated Rinky Hijikata (AUS) in the first match and then outclassed Gael Monfils (FRA) in the second.

Can he make it three out of three? Well, his opponent Reilly Opelka started his season at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in July 2024. Interesting, he made it to the SF over there but was defeated by his compatriot Alex Michelsen in the semis. Over here in Brisbane, Opelka defeated Argentina’s Federico Agustin Gomez in the first match by 7-5,6-4 and then in the R16 he beat Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi in two sets. What will be the scoreline in the third?

Djokovic vs Opelka: Head-to-Head

Time will tell! Have they ever met each other, though? Well, the answer is no. Novak Djokovic hasn’t yet faced Reilly Opelka in his career. So, currently, their H2H scoreline is at 0-0.

Prediction: Djokovic to win in straight sets

The Serb might not have had the season he would’ve wanted in 2024, but he has got off to a flier in 2025! So, considering his form in this tournament and overall experience of playing on ‘The Land Down Under’ we expect the Serb to get the upper hand in this mega battle. Having said, that we all are well aware of the potential of Reilly Opelka. So, fasten your seatbelts for some nail-biting moments in this match. Novak Djokovic (7) had a win-loss record of 34-11 in the 2024 season, whereas it was just 9-9 for Reilly Opelka (293).

So, Djokovic has played more number of matches in the last few months than the 27-year-old American. This might also make things a bit easier comparatively for the Serb. Now if take a look at their playing styles, Reilly Opelka is 6ft 11 inches and he uses his height incredibly well to generate some real power behind his serves. He has hit 222 aces in the 2024 season! Do you know Reilly Opelka fired 25 aces against Arnaldi in his previous match? His consistency and precision are the key to his high success rate on the serves. Apart from that, Opelka also has a good volley and even has an incredible reach on the courts.

Novak Djokovic on the other hand is an aggressive baseline player. His groundstrokes from both wings are consistent, deep and penetrating. His backhand is widely regarded as the greatest two-handed backhand of all time, due to its effectiveness on both sides of the court and its accuracy. He is also a good returner of the serve, so this is really going to be an exciting contest to watch!

Apart from that, Novak Djokovic has also been describe as one of the fittest and most complete athlete in the history of the sport. His court coverage and agility are parallel to almost none! Djokovic is also highly effective off both the forehand and backhand return. So, looking at all these weapons we feel it’d be really tough for Reilly Opelka to get a grip of this contest.