NOVAK DJOKOVIC faced an unexpected defeat in straight sets against the towering Reilly Opelka, who measures 6ft 11in, at the Brisbane International.

The 37-year-old Serb is on a quest for an unprecedented 11th Australian Open men’s singles title and his 25th Grand Slam in Melbourne later this month.


Novak Djokovic was stunned by American Reilly Opelka at the Brisbane International

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Novak Djokovic was stunned by American Reilly Opelka at the Brisbane International
Credit: Getty

Opelka, who stands at 6ft 11in, produced the seismic upset in Australia

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Opelka, who stands at 6ft 11in, produced the seismic upset in Australia
Credit: AFP

Djokovic embraced and exchanged words with Opelka at the end of the match

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Djokovic embraced and exchanged words with Opelka at the end of the match
Credit: EPA

In 2024, Djokovic ended the year without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2017.

Supporters of Djokovic will likely be concerned about his performance as he approaches his preferred Slam, the Australian Open, having lost to world No. 293 Opelka in the Brisbane quarter-finals.

Opelka, 27, who achieved his best Grand Slam result by reaching the fourth round at the 2021 US Open, secured a stunning 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 victory over Djokovic.

He dominated the Olympic gold medalist, serving 16 aces against Djokovic’s eight in this extraordinary match.

Despite reaching a career-high No. 17 in February 2022, this result is seen as a significant upset.

The towering athlete from Michigan has had limited competition in the last three years due to injuries but made a stunning comeback with this fantastic win.

Opelka, tied with Ivo Karlovic as the tallest player ever ranked by the ATP, will take on Giovani Mpetshi Perricard in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Djokovic remains hopeful that this setback is merely a brief hurdle in his preparations for the Australian Open.

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He was eliminated in the semi-finals of last year’s tournament by eventual champion Jannik Sinner.

Currently, Djokovic stands as the third favorite to win the trophy, trailing behind Sinner and French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz.

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His most recent Slam title was at the 2023 US Open where he triumphed over Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to claim the trophy in New York.

However, he did achieve his primary goal for 2024 by beating Alcaraz to win gold at the Paris Olympics last summer.