‘I have a hard time not seeing Novak Djokovic as the favourite when he steps on court’, says ATP pro
Adrian Mannarino has revealed he finds it difficult to not view Novak Djokovic as the favourite whenever the Serb takes to the court.
The world No 75 believes there are “only two or three players maximum” who can beat Djokovic when the tennis legend “wants to” perform at his best.
Djokovic will play 19-year-old American wildcard Nishesh Basavareddy, the world No 133, in the opening round of the 2025 Australian Open on Monday.
The 37-year-old is seeking a record-extending 11th title at the hard-court major and a 25th Grand Slam crown in total.
The former world No 1 is the seventh seed in Melbourne and he is projected to meet world No 3 Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.
He could face second seed Alexander Zverev in the last four, while world No 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner is the most likely opponent if he reaches the championship match.
Djokovic is vying for his first title since his gold medal triumph at the Paris Olympics in August — which was the only tournament he won in 2024. He fell in the quarter-finals to Reilly Opelka at the Brisbane International in his first event of the 2025 season.
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In an interview with Eurosport, Mannarino was asked if he thinks Djokovic can add to his Grand Slam tally at the Australian Open.
“Yes, I think it’s possible. I don’t think I see him more marked than that,” said the 36-year-old Frenchman.
“When he’s sharp and in shape, I have a hard time not seeing him as the favourite when he steps on a court.
“I don’t know how he’s going to feel, if he feels the long time with the years that accumulate. But there are only two or three players maximum who can beat him on the circuit when he wants to.”
Mannarino, who reached a career-high ranking of world No 17 in January 2024, also shared his thoughts on the exciting talent of his 20-year-old French compatriot Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
“I don’t know him well enough, but it’s true that he has an impressive game, an impressive physique,” the five-time ATP title winner explained.
“We’ve very rarely seen a player like that who serves above 220 km/h on his two serves.
“The difficulty for him will be to be consistent throughout the year, he’s discovering the circuit, he’s very well supervised. He’s going to have to manage if he has two or three defeats that hurt.
“But if he manages to improve in the areas where he still has room for improvement, especially on the volley, he’s going to become unbearable to play.”
