"Nothing more dangerous than an Australian in Australia" - Serena Williams' ex-coach predicts tough 4R match for Novak Djokovic against Alex de Minaur
Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou predicted that it won't be easy for Novak Djokovic to face an Aussie opponent in the fourth round of the 2023 Australian Open.
The Serbian defeated Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets to set up a clash with Alex de Minaur, who got the better of Benjamin Bonzi in his third-round match. Djokovic and De Minaur will face off in front of a packed Rod Laver Arena for a place in the quarterfinals on Monday (January 23).
Mouratoglou took to social media and stated that it would be tough for Djokovic to face de Minaur as the crowd will be against him.
"There is nothing more dangerous than an Australian in Australia. The crowd is outstanding here, and the support is huge. The atmosphere will sound like a football match," he said.
The Frenchman also said that the Aussie's game will be challenging for the 21-time Grand Slam champion as he is struggling with a leg issue.
"Alex will make Novak work a lot. He is a master of covering the court, brings balls back all the time, and is better than anyone else except Novak himself. The games of those two fit well well, so you better be ready for some crazy rallies at a high intensity," he opined.
"It's a big challenge of playing an Aussie guy here in front of his home crowd" - Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic knows that it will be a challenge to face Alex de Minaur in Melbourne as the home crowd will be behind his opponent when they take to the court for their fourth-round clash.
In his post-match press conference after his win over Grigor Dimitrov, the Serb revealed that the atmosphere inside the stadium would be electric.
"Of course, it's a big challenge of playing an Aussie guy here in front of his home crowd. I'm sure that the atmosphere will be electric, and he's going to have a lot of support, and he's going to be pumped to try to win the match," he said.
He also pointed out that it would be a challenge for both players as they have never faced each other on the ATP tour.
"I played some big Aussie players, so I know how that feels. I know what to expect, so to say, in terms of atmosphere, and the match itself. The fact that I never faced him is also challenging for both me and him," he said.
"I think we don't know much about each other's games, but we still know each other pretty well because he's been around for quite a few years. I've watched him play numerous times. I know how he plays," he added.