Novak Djokovic powers past Hijikata to advance in Brisbane

Novak Djokovic fired a warning signal to the rest of the ATP Tour on Tuesday night in Brisbane, racing past Australia’s Rinky Hijikata 6-3, 6-3 in an impressive start to his 2025 season.

Playing in the first round of the Brisbane International, Djokovic took just an hour and 14 minutes to dispatch Hijikata in front of a packed-out crowd.

The Serbian served brilliantly across the match, firing down 12 aces and winning 81% of first-serve points.

“I think serving helped a lot,” Djokovic said after the match.

“My serving both in doubles and singles was terrific.

“Been working on it.

“Great to see that I’m able to get, every game, at least one or two free points.

“That helps a lot, you know, on a surface like this.”

The 37-year-old had an uncharacteristically poor season in 2024, failing to win a Grand Slam for the first time in eight years and looking as though age was finally catching up to him.

However, he shared in his post-match press conference that as his 38th birthday approaches, he is looking to improve aspects of his game that will help his longevity on court.

“I definitely am looking to improve, even if it’s the slightest percentage, every single shot that I have in my game,” he said.

“Maybe something that people don’t necessarily see is this court positioning, the transition play, the tactics.

“Just focusing mostly on myself, really, how I can be better physically, game-wise, mentally, as well.”

Despite his down season, Djokovic remains a heavy favourite to win the Brisbane International ($1.66 at PlayUp) and sits on the third line of betting ($4.50) across most tennis betting sites ahead of the Australian Open later this month.

According to the 24-time Grand Slam champion, the spark is still there to chase big titles and take on the next generation of tennis players.

“I’m ready to compete, whatever it takes, however many hours it takes with the youngsters,” Djokovic said.

“In the upcoming weeks, we will also, particularly the week before Australian Open, do a lot of video analysis of my main opponents.

“[We will be] trying to understand how my game matches up against theirs and what I have done in the past well, what I can improve.

“So there is quite a bit of analytics in there, and I am that kind of person.

“I like to go into details.”

Next up, Djokovic plays veteran Gael Monfils in the round of 16 in Brisbane, where he is a $1.11 favourite to win with the top online bookmakers.

The pair share the most lop-sided head-to-head on the ATP Tour, with Djokovic having won all 19 of their meetings over the past two decades.

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