Laslo Djere is 'not a test' for compatriot Novak Djokovic at 2023 US Open in third round match, claims Justine Henin
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Updated 02/09/2023 at 06:52 GMT
Fellow Serbians Novak Djokovic and Laslo Djere meet in the third round of this year's US Open, the last Grand Slam tournament of the 2023 season. Speaking to Eurosport, former world No. 1 Justine Henin does not think that Djere has enough to threaten Djokovic, and the knockout match is mainly notable for the two players sharing the same home country.
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Former world No. 1 Justine Henin thinks that Novak Djokovic is the overwhelming favourite in his US Open third round match-up against Laslo Djere.
Djokovic had little trouble as he overcame Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the second round, and Henin, a seven-time Grand Slam winner, believes it'll be a similar story in New York for the 36-year-old.
Back in 2022, Djere made Djokovic work extremely hard for a 2-6 7-6(6) 7-6(4) win in Belgrade - but Henin suggested it may not be as close this time.
She said: “I don't know if we can call it a test. I am sure that Novak will take this match very seriously.
“He is a solid player, of course he is from Serbia. We always know that playing a person from our country is always a bit special. Of course, they played a tight match in Serbia last year, but still I think Djere is not a Grand Slam specialist and Novak knows how to deal with this kind of situation.”
Djokovic is yet to drop a set, and Henin continued: “He looks in good shape. Conditions were a bit tough for him in the second round, but I'm sure he is used to it. So for me it's not a test.
“It's just a solid match to play and very interesting to see how they can deal with the emotions of playing someone for the same country.”
Henin noted that for Djere it is an unusual experience because he will have looked to his upcoming opponent as an inspiration, given their shared backgrounds.
“But the experience from Novak is huge. Yeah, and of course, for Laslo Djere, Novak Djokovic is a big role model, so there's a lot of respect there as well, which is also never easy to play against one of your big role models and idols.”
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