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Jordan Thompson says facing Novak Djokovic "could be a dream or could be a nightmare" for a player standing on the other side of the net against the Serb. Thompson, 29, got a chance to play Djokovic for the first time in his career this summer.
Not only that Thompson got to play Djokovic, but he also got to play against the Serb on Wimbledon's Centre Court. In the Wimbledon second round, Thompson earned the respect of Djokovic and the crowd as the record 23-time Grand Slam champion had to put up a solid fight before en route the Australian 6-3 7-6 (4) 7-5. “It could be a dream, or could be a nightmare.
I’ve seen a few guys have nightmares out there against him,” Thompson told WAtoday.
Thompson: I had to come out with something different against Djokovic
Just before Wimbledon, Thompson ended as runner-up at an ATP 250 event in 's-Hertogenbosch.
Thompson arrived at Wimbledon in fine form but he knew that against Djokovic playing his usual game wouldn't help him too much. “We both knew that if I played my normal game; I was going to get killed. We went through all the stats, and it was pretty clear that I had to try and change drastically to try and win.
I mean, my best chance that day was in tiebreakers. I wasn’t that far away from getting two of them," Thompson said. Although Thompson didn't beat Djokovic or win a single set against the Serb, he left the court proud of his performance and with full of confidence.
“Losing three, six and five to the greatest ever – I took a lot of confidence from that, especially playing a style that I wouldn’t generally go about my tennis [with],” Thompson said. Now, Thompson is set to compete at the US Open, where he drew Botic van de Zandschulp in the first round.