Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez is eager for his eighth clash with world No.1 Novak Djokovic as he attempts to end his losing streak against the Serbian.
Lopez’s head-to-head record against the top seed currently stands at 0-7. The two men have played 16 sets, with the 34-year-old Spaniard winning just two of them. Despite the odds being firmly stacked against him, Lopez said matches like his upcoming quarterfinal clash at the Dubai Tennis Championships are worth it.
“I hope I have a beautiful match. I hope to have a big battle against him. It’s a great opportunity for me. I practice every day and I work very hard every day to play these matches so I’m really looking forward, to play that match,” said Lopez.
One of the two sets that Lopez has been able to take against the world No.1 occurred in their meeting at the 2015 US Open. In New York Djokovic described the 34-year-old as ‘one of the few players that serves and volleys on their first serve’. The encounter was a memorable occasion for Lopez, who was playing in his first Grand Slam quarterfinals since Wimbledon 2011.
“I played some of my best tennis at the Open last year against Novak in the night session. I remember the match was very close and I had a few break points to go up a break in the fourth, but then he played very well in the tiebreak. I have great memories from that match, we played in Shanghai after that, but he beat me easily, he was unbeatable by that time of the year”. The 34-year-old recalled.
Following their US Open meeting, Lopez was reminded about how dominating Djokovic is in the Shanghai Open a month later, losing 6-2, 6-3. The good news for the Spaniard is that he has extensive knowledge of what it is like to play the world No.1. The bad news is that he is yet to find a way to break down the Serbian’s game. Looking ahead to Thursday’s clash, Lopez intends to be aggressive in the match.
“I just hope to be aggressive, be there, take my chances and… I’m so proud just to play against him, in a stadium like this, full of people, it’s a great opportunity.”
Djokovic is yet to lose a match this year as he bids to win his eighth consecutive tournament. Since 2015 he has a win-loss record against Spanish players of 15-0. The last Spanish player to beat him was Tommy Robredo at the 2014 Cincinnati Open.
