British player Alijaz Bedene will be looking to produce a massive upset tonight as he faces world No.1 Novak Djokovic in the French Open third round. Join The Roar for live scores from 12am AEST.
Following Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from the tournament, it appears that another easy passage has been opened up for Djokovic to make yet another major final.
Standing in the Serb’s way tonight is Bedene – a competitive player who has registered some good wins against class opponents over the last two seasons.
Victories over players like Roberto Bautista-Agut, Feliciano Lopez and Giles Simon prove that Bedene has what it takes to compete with players inside the world’s top 20 on the ATP rankings.
Djokovic however is a different kettle of fish all together. Bedene should know that after losing to the Serb in the first round of the 2015 Australian Open in straight sets.
To Bedene’s credit, the former Slovenian turned British representative is a great competitor and won’t die wondering tonight against the greatest player in the men’s game.
Bedene should also take comfort from the fact that Djokovic struggled somewhat in his second round victory over Steve Darcis. The Serb’s game never hits any truly great heights in the opening week of grand slams, so Bedene needs to apply pressure from the get go if he hopes to have a chance of winning a set.
Even if Djokovic doesn’t play at his best level tonight, the reigning Australian Open champion still starts an overwhelming favourite. The experience and skill level that the world No.1 possesses should once again see him through to the fourth round.
Djokovic in three sets