Novak Djokovic breezed into the Miami Open quarterfinals on Tuesday (March 25). He was up against Lorenzo Musetti at Hard Rock Stadium, where another great was enjoying his match from the stands.
It was 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams, of course. Not just her, Juan Martin del Potro too attended the match and sat behind Djokovic’s coach Andy Murray. Playing in front of these three former players left the 24-time Grand Slam champion star-struck.
Williams is the most successful player in the history of the Miami Open (male or female), having won eight titles. The Floridian was asked by six-time Miami Open champion Djokovic about his stunning backhand winner which he hit at 5-2 in the second set, after which he secured a spot in the quarterfinal.
The match, which lasted for an hour and 23 minutes, saw Djokovic complain to the chair umpire about a time violation during the fifth game of the first set. The confrontation with the umpire riled him up, and he never looked back, quickly finishing the match with a 6-2, 6-2 scoreline.
Goran Ivanisevic calls Novak Djokovic the greatest of all time
Goran Ivanisevic parted ways with Novak Djokovic last year in March, marking an end to a nearly six-year partnership. Ivanisevic recently appeared on a television show in Croatia during which he gave his stance on the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) debate.
Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal have collectively bagged 66 Grand Slam titles. Federer and Nadal have both called time on their careers at the 2022 Laver Cup and the 2024 Davis Cup, respectively. Djokovic, on the other hand, is still on his hunt for a record 25th Grand Slam title.
Ivanisevic, following his split with Nole, joined Elena Rybakina‘s team. But the partnership did not last long as the Croatian coach quit her team after the Kazakh ace’s Australian Open defeat due to the controversy involving banned coach Stefano Vukov.
Djokovic is three wins away from his 41st Masters 1000 title. In the quarterfinals, the 37-year-old, who last won a tour-level singles title at the 2023 ATP Finals, will lock horns with home favorite Sebastian Korda who knocked out Gael Monfils in three sets in the previous round.
Korda and Djokovic have faced each other just once and the result of it ended in the Serb’s favor. They were pitted against each other in the 2023 Adelaide International final.
Both the players are on a hunt for their first title of the season. Korda came close to winning the Adelaide International but lost the final to Felix Auger-Aliassime.