SUMMARY
- Novak Djokovic is in Australia to defend his title.
- He posed with Romanian singer Andreea Balan.
Melbourne is currently a melting pot, as fans from all over the world have come to catch their favorites in action. Serbian legend Novak Djokovic is taking to the courts as the defending champion of the Australian Open. Even though Djokovic has a busy schedule, he managed to meet his fan, the Romanian singer, Andreea Balan, leaving her in awe.
Novak has won a record 10 titles in Melbourne, and he is one of the favorites to win an eleventh this year. If Djokovic does manage to pull this off, he will become the first player in history to win 25 major titles. While the business end is still weeks away, Novak got off to a good start.
When the Serb was not playing, though, he managed to meet Balan as well. The singer is currently dating Romanian star Victor Cornea. Andreea took to social media to share the photos of her chance encounter with Novak.
View this post on Instagram
Balan called Novak the “living legend of the tennis world.” Djokovic, who is friends with many well-known celebrities, happily obliged the singer.
It was not just Novak that Andreea clicked pictures with. She even posed with the most famous tennis couple at present, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa. Balan called them the “elite players” in her post.
View this post on Instagram
With a win under his belt, Novak Djokovic has his eyes on the prize. As he prepares for his next challenge, Djokovic is quite familiar with the effort it takes to get what he wants.
Novak Djokovic vs. Alexei Popyrin at the Australian Open
Djokovic did not have the easiest of starts in Melbourne. 18-year-old Dino Prizmic pushed Djokovic to play his longest first-round match at a Grand Slam ever. Popyrin will be a much harder challenge for Djokovic.
The Australian proved his mettle when he defeated Marc Polmans in the first round. It was a one-sided match, and Alexei walked away victorious in straight sets. The crowd cheered for him throughout, and he will need their support again against Novak.
.@DjokerNole plays a winner after a 18 shots rally!!#rakutenopen #rakutenopen2019 #楽天オープン #テニス #楽天オープン2019 #ATPTour #atp500 pic.twitter.com/lYUvuVfOzm
— 木下グループジャパンオープンテニス (@japanopentennis) October 1, 2019
Alexei and Novak have played against each other just once, at the Japan Open in 2019. The Australian was just 19 at the time and just starting his career as a professional. Five years later, Alexei is confident he can do some damage.
“He is the greatest of all time in our sport, so to get there, you have to have no weaknesses. But I have big weapons in my game that I believe can do some damage,” he said (via ATP Tour).
Novak Djokovic will hope to keep up his winning streak in Melbourne, where he has not lost since 2018. He will take on Alexei Popyrin on January 17.