Novak Djokovic brings the best out of Holger Rune.
Will that be enough for the Dane to upset the seven-time Wimbledon champion on Monday in their fourth-round clash at The All England Club?
Rune has won two of the pair’s five Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings, and those two have been among the biggest victories of his young career.
“I’m expecting a tough battle. I think that’s always how it’s going to be when you play Novak,” Rune said.
“He’s one of the toughest competitors of all time and one of the most successful players, so I’m expecting nothing but a great level from him.”
Djokovic is set to compete in the second week at Wimbledon for the 16th time.
This is just Rune’s 12th Grand Slam tournament.
But a disparity in experience has never scared Rune. The 21-year-old has already earned 15 wins against opponents inside the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings.
He owns the seventh-best winning percentage against the Top 10 (45.5%) among active players, trailing only Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Andy Murray, Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner.
“When it comes to playing on the court and competing, obviously we both have that fire,” Djokovic said.
“I’m sure that on Monday we’ll see a lot of fireworks on the court. He’s a spectacular player, no doubt.
He loves the big stage, loves playing on grass. I think he’s a very, very tricky opponent. It’s going to take my best tennis to win.”
