World quantity 43 Alexei Popyrin believes he can “do some injury” when he performs Novak Djokovic within the Australian Open second spherical on Wednesday.
Ten-time champion Djokovic faces the Australian, 24, within the final match of the evening session on Rod Laver Enviornment.
Earlier than that, defending girls’s champion Aryna Sabalenka performs teenage qualifier Brenda Fruhvirtova.
Requested in regards to the difficulties of going through high seed Djokovic, Popyrin mentioned: “I do not assume he is obtained any weaknesses.”
He added: “He’s the best of all time in our sport, so to get there it’s important to don’t have any weaknesses.
“However I’ve large weapons in my sport that I imagine can do some injury.”
Serb Djokovic, 36, was made to work arduous for his first-round victory over Croatian 18-year-old Dino Prizmic on Sunday, praising {the teenager} by saying it was like “enjoying myself within the mirror”.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion will face a unique problem in his second-round match in opposition to Popyrin, who might be closely backed by a house crowd.
It will likely be the pair’s second assembly after Djokovic beat Popyrin in straight units in Tokyo in 2019.
Because the singles second spherical will get below means, a second teenager stands in the best way of Sabalenka, 25, after she thrashed 18-year-old German qualifier Ella Seidel within the first spherical.
The Belarusian’s opponent, Czech 16-year-old Fruhvirtova who’s ranked 107th on this planet, is enjoying her first Grand Slam second-round match.
One other 16-year-old options on Rod Laver Enviornment as Russian Mirra Andreeva performs sixth seed Ons Jabeur, a match which might be adopted by dwelling hope Alex De Minaur, the tenth seed, seeking to overcome Italian Matteo Arnaldi.
Coco Gauff, Jannik Sinner, Ben Shelton and Caroline Wozniacki are additionally in singles motion on Wednesday, whereas Joe Salisbury, Neal Skupski and Heather Watson are amongst six Britons enjoying within the males’s and girls’s doubles competitions.