Playing against Novak Djokovic a "great story" to tell my children, says Adelaide opponent Constant Lestienne

Despite losing his opening-round match to Novak Djokovic at the Adelaide International 1, Constant Lestienne mentioned that he was grateful for the experience of competing against the Serb.

The Frenchman came undone by the sheer excellence of the 21-time Grand Slam champion at the Memorial Drive Tennis Centre, going down in straight sets 6-3, 6-2.

In his post-match interview, Lestienne revealed that he wanted to see the positives from the match. He said that he would tell his children about playing one of the greats of the sport.

"It was great, really! It was not necessarily an obvious draw for me, to take Novak Djokovic in the first round of an ATP 250, but it's true that that's how you learn." Lestienne said. "I saw how difficult the level was, but it's great to have been able to face such a player and I only keep positive things from this meeting. This will be a great story to tell my children!"

Heading into the first Grand Slam of the year, the World No. 65 pointed out that he would take some valuable lessons from the match.

"Although, with today's match, I can see the level and intensity required to win matches in a Grand Slam. But all that is positive and I take it as a good experience!" he added.

"To see the packed house for my first match was definitely a very pleasant surprise" - Novak Djokovic

Fans cheer Djokovic on at the 2023 Adelaide International 1

Novak Djokovic mentioned that he was surprised to see a packed stadium in his first match in Australia since his deportation last year.

In his post-match press conference, he claimed that he was motivated by all the love and support he received during the match.

"To see the packed house for my first match was definitely a very pleasant surprise, and lots of support, lots of love. That obviously motivated me and allowed me to express myself in the best possible way on the court with my game," he said.

Analyzing his first competitive match of the year, Djokovic stated that he was very solid and pointed out that the match was close in the first six games.

"I thought I played very solid, competitive start. I think for six games, we were kind of close. I managed to play solid in important moments and got rewarded with the break, and after that I didn't look back. I played really well in the second set," he added.

He will take on another Frenchman, Quentin Halys, in the second round in Adelaide on Thursday.