Facing Novak Djokovic will be exciting, I've never played against the best in the world: Miomir Kecmanovic
Miomir Kecmanovic recently spoke about the prospect of facing 18-time Major winner Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the ongoing Serbia Open. During the press conference after his Round of 16 win on Wednesday, Kecmanovic pointed out that he has never faced a World No. 1 player in his career.
"It will be exciting, I never played against the best in the world," Miomir Kecmanovic said. "I played against Rafael Nadal, and the two of them are the best. I hope that I will prove my quality as a player."
It is pertinent to note that when Kecmanovic faced Nadal, at the 2020 Acapulco event, the Spaniard was ranked No. 2 in the world. Kecmanovic ended up losing that match 6-2, 7-5.
Currently ranked 47th in the world, Miomir Kecmanovic has beaten Facundo Bagnis and Arthur Rinderknech at the Belgrade event so far. Novak Djokovic, on his part, won his opener against Kwon Soon-woo in convincing fashion, setting up the quarterfinal against his countryman on Friday.
"We have trained together a lot, I will try to play a good match against Novak Djokovic" - Miomir Kecmanovic
Miomir Kecmanovic went on to disclose during his post-match presser that he has often traded hits with Novak Djokovic in the past. The 21-year-old then vowed to put up a good performance against Djokovic on Friday.
"We have trained a lot together," Kecmanovic said. "My main goal in this tournament was the quarterfinal, I won against two lower-ranked opponents and it was expected that I would win. I will try to play a good match against Novak."
Kecmanovic was also asked about his Olympics aspirations during the interview. In response, the Serb claimed that he had always wished to represent his country at the Games, and called it a 'phenomenal feeling'.
"I always wished to play at the Olympic Games, that is a phenomenal feeling and a unique opportunity to represent your country, regardless of whether you get a medal or not," Kecmanovic said. "I will give my all, we will see how it will turn out."
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