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Rising star Luca Van Assche spoke extremely highly of Novak Djokovic ahead of their Banja Luka match and underlined his goal is to beat the world No 1. Van Assche, 18, upset three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka 1-6 7-6 (4) 6-4 in the Srpska Open first round.
As a reward for his big win over Wawrinka, 87th-ranked Van Assche will have a chance to play against Djokovic for the first time in his career. Djokovic is a home favorite player in Banja Luka and there is no doubt that the entire stadium will be on his side when he meets Van Assche.
"Playing Djokovic is really an honor. He's a tennis legend. I don't know if he's the GOAT, but he's a beast. He's not necessarily my favorite player, but I have enormous respect for him, his career and everything he does for the sport.
I know I can compete. It's going to be super difficult, in a stadium supporting Djokovic, but I'm not going to make it easy for him. I'm going to try, in any case. It's going to be a huge pleasure. I will do everything to enjoy it and try to win," Van Assche told Quentin Moynet of L'Equipe.
Van Assche : "Je sais que je peux rivaliser. Ça va être super compliqué, dans un stade acquis à sa cause, mais je ne vais pas lui rendre la tâche facile... Je vais essayer, en tout cas. Ça va être un immense plaisir.
Je vais tout faire pour en profiter et essayer de gagner." — Quentin Moynet (@QuentinMoynet) April 17, 2023
Djokovic showed respect for Van Assche
Van Assche has won two Challenger titles so far in 2023 and he recently broke into the top-100 for the first time in his career.
When Djokovic was asked about Van Assche, he admitted he didn't know much about the Frenchman but still praised the 18-year-old. "I don't know much about this guy, I know he entered the Top 100, I thought Wawrinka would win, he led the whole match.
He is a young fighter, he is fast, it is difficult to break his game in these conditions, nobody should be underestimated," Djokovic said. Anything but a routine win for Djokovic against Van Assche would be a big surprise.