Novak Djokovic "ready" to face tough test in Adelaide starting with Denis Shapovalov

Novak Djokovic is looking forward to facing Denis Shapovalov in the Adelaide 1 quarterfinals after seeing off Quentyn Halys in two tiebreak sets on Thursday (January 5).

The top seed opened his Adelaide campaign with a straight-sets (6-3, 6-2) win over Constant Lestienne, but faced a sterner challenge from Halys. After losing the first set on a tiebreak, the Frenchman served for the second at 5-3 before Djokovic forced another tiebreak to close out the victory.

Next up for Novak Djokovic is big-hitting left-hander Denis Shapovalov in a rematch of the pair's 2021 Wimbledon semifinals. Looking ahead to the clash against the Canadian, Djokovic said in his on-court interview that he was looking forward to the challenge against 'one of the most complete players.'

"Denis is one of the most complete players out there," the Serb said. "He has got a very dynamic style of tennis - big serve, comes to the net, is comfortable playing from the back of the court, great athlete, moves fantastic."

He continued:

"We haven't played now for a while, so I'm looking forward to that. Every match now gets tougher, and I'm gonna be ready for that."

Djokovic holds a perfect 7-0 head-to-head record against Shapovalov, dropping just two sets in those seven matches.

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"It was a great performance from my opponent today" - Novak Djokovic on Quentyn Halys

2023 Adelaide International 1 - Day 3

Novak Djokovic also commended the level of play of his Round of 16 opponent Quentyn Halys at the Adelaide International 1.

Halys was close to forcing a third set in the match. However, the 21-time Grand Slam champion brought his superior experience to the fore, rediscovering his mojo to emerge unscathed in straight sets.

"It was a great performance from my opponent today, and I want to congratulate him for a great fight," Djokovic said about Halys.

"He played like a top-ten opponent. He was serving big, hitting his spots, and on a fast court like this, it's tough to break, so two tie-breaks is a realistic score in today's match. I'm glad to overcome the challenge."

With the win over Halys, Novak Djokovic has improved to 2-0 this season. Fifteen years after winning his third career singles title in Adelaide, the Serb is now three wins away from title no. 92. However, he will face a tough challenge from Denis Shapovalov.

The Canadian was taken to three sets by Rinky Hijkata in the opening round before he saw off Roman Saifulin in straight sets in the Round of 16. In Djokovic, Shapovalov will take on an opponent he has never beaten before.