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Dusan Lajovic became the first Serbian to defeat Novak Djokovic in over a decade by defeating the world No. 1 6-4, 7-6(6) in Banja Luka on Friday, April 21, 2023.
Lajovic didn’t give up in any service game, saving 15 of 16 break points with ease.
Lajovic notched three set points in the second seeded playoff before sealing what he described as the biggest win of his career.
«I’m so tired, it’s the biggest win of my career,» Lajovic said in an on-court interview following his win over Novak Djokovic.
«It’s a mixed feeling because I’m playing in front of my hometown and I’m playing against Nole, who is a good friend and a hero of our country. Beating him, it’s something I didn’t even think was possible, but it happened.»
Crucially, Lajovic remained aggressive at times serving-and-willing to keep the pressure on Djokovic. The 32-year-old Lajovic, the 22-time major champion, moved to all four corners of the court to earn his third top-5 appearance.
Lajovic explained that the only thing that kept him in the match was Djokovic being out of serve.
«The first serve percentage wasn’t great,» Lajovic said. “So I was able to use that to my advantage. But overall I think it was very good tennis from my side.
If Miomir Kecmanovic beats Jiri Leheka this evening, Lajovic could face another Serbian in the quarter-finals.
Lajovic reached 23rd place in the ATP rankings four years ago after reaching the final of the Monte Carlo Masters, where he lost to Fabio Fognini. That season, Lajović won his only tour ranking at the ATP 250 event in Umag.
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Djokovic lost to a Serbian for the third time this season and the first time Janko Tipsarevic won the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid in May 2012. The 93-time Tour Class champion will next compete in Mutua Madrid. Open from April 26th to May 7th.
The world No. 1 has a pair of titles in Australia, including a 22nd Grand Slam in Melbourne, but has been playing through another injury-plagued campaign so far.
