Novak Djokovic is the World No. 1 and for good reason. The 20-time Grand Slam-winning champion showed the world why he is the best in his game once again and why he deserves the top spot on the ATP list. His schedule in 2022 has been greatly affected by his vaccination status, and several countries having a vaccine mandate. As a result, he’s hardly been able to get any proper elite-level match practice this year.

He overcame a massive scare against Laslo Djere in his Round-of-16 match at the Serbian Open. He battled for close to three and a half hours to prevail over his younger opponent. Before his tournament opener, the Serbian Paralympics paid their visit to the Serbia Open as Djokovic expressed his gratitude and felt proud for hosting them.

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Djokovic took time to meet Serbian Paralympians

Thrilled after meeting the Serbian Paralympics team, Djokovic poured his heart out in his latest post. He posted about it on his Instagram and captioned it, “You are true heroes that inspire us. Thank you for showing us that despite hardship, there’s always a way to succeed and be happy. Proud to have the Serbian Paralympic Team visit us at @serbiaopen.” 

He met the team sometime before his opening match against Laslo Djere. The 26-year-old, who has grown up idolizing Djokovic said, “I’ve always looked up to Djokovic when I was a kid… The change has been incredible in the last couple of years when I had the opportunity to play and practice with him at tournaments. I really respect him for everything that he has achieved. Now I have to learn to see him as my opponent tomorrow.”

Novak Djokovic and his Serbia Open campaign

Despite trailing by a set and a break of serve in his tournament opener, Djokovic showed resilience to edge past his younger opponent 2-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(4) in an epic in Belgrade. After his first-round exit at Monte Carlo Masters, his hard-fought win over Djere in Belgrade should give Djokovic a lot of confidence as he aims to win his first title of this season. In the quarterfinal on Thursday, Djokovic will lock horns against Miomir Kecmanović at the Serbian Open.

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Can Djokovic prevail over Kecmanović in the quarterfinal to stay in the hunt for his maiden title of the 2022 season? It will be intriguing to witness how the Serb fares against his younger opponent in a battle across generations.