Know the crowd will be with Novak Djokovic but I'll try to win, declares Srpska Open 2R opponent Luca Van Assche

Luca Van Assche has no qualms about which player the crowd will support when he takes on top seed Novak Djokovic in the 2023 Srpska Open second round on Wednesday.

The 18-year-old Frenchman opened his campaign in the inaugural ATP 250 claycourt event in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina with a hard-fought three-set win over Stan Wawrinka on Monday.

The three-time Grand Slam winner seemed to be in control of the contest when he took the opening set for the loss of just one game. Van Assche, though, rallied to take the second in a tiebreak before winning 6-4 in the decider to seal one of the biggest wins of his fledgling career.

However, he has no time to savor the win, as he'll next face World No. 1 Novak Djokovic - who has lost just twice in 18 matches this season. In his on-court interview, the French teenager reflected on the magnitude of his next challenge in front of a partisan crowd:

"It will be incredible for me, and I'm only 18. So it will be incredible. I know that the crowd will not be with me. I think that I will enjoy it, and I will try to win."

About his performance against Wawrinka, Van Assche sounded pleased to beat a 'legend of the sport':

"I feel very happy with my win. It was a pleasure to play in front of you all. Thank you for the support. I know that at the beginning they were first time because he, he's an amazing legend of the sport. And yeah, I'm very happy to win this match."

Djokovic is coming off a surprise Round of 16 loss at Monte-Carlo last week.

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Fans throng Novak Djokovic practice session in Banja Luka

The World No. 1 made an early exit in Monte-Carlo

Novak Djokovic commenced his claycourt swing at the Monte-Carlo Masters last week. Unexpectedly, the World No. 1 was stunned by Lorenzo Musetti in the Round of 16.

The Serb will now make his debut at the Srpska Open against Van Assche. Ahead of his first match at the newest ATP 250 claycourt event, Djokovic hit the practice courts in Banja Luka, attracting a sea of fans. Following his practice session, the Serb stayed back to click photographs and sign autographs, much to the delight of the gathering.

Interestingly, the World No. 1's younger brother, Djordje, is the tournament director of the Srpska Open.