Novak Djokovic's Efforts To Hold The 100th ATP Tour Title Strengthening

Novak Djokovic is trying to win his 100th ATP Tour (Instagram/@djokernole).

JAKARTA - Novak Djokovic's efforts to win the 100th ATP Tour title strengthened on Thursday, January 2, 2025, when the Serbian player defeated fellow veteran Gael Monfils 6-3 and 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of Brisbane International 2025.

The 37-year-old, who wants to join Roger Federer (103) and Jimmyctions (199) as players who have reached the milestone, advanced in the first set after a break in the fourth game.

Djokovic then advanced again in the second set to extend his winning streak against the French player to 20-0, nearly two decades after their first meeting in the opening round of the 2005 US Open.

"We've been playing for years. I've known you since I was 15 years old.

"We play at the junior level quite often and at the Tour and have a good score against it."

"However, we also had some outstanding fights. He is one of the best athletes, if not the best, in our sport over the years," said Djokovic, who will be eyeing his 11th Australian Open title when the first Grand Slam season begins at the end of January 2025.

Djokovic will next face the United States tennis player with a hard service, Badminton Opelka, as he improves his preparations for a 25th Grand Slam title at the 2025 Australian Open on 12-26 January 2025.

Opelka beat Matteo Arnaldi with a score of 7-6 (9) and 7-6 (4). While the French player, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, another player who can beat his opponents with a hard service, defeated fourth seed Frances Tiafoe with a score of 6-4 and 7-6 (4).

Jakub Mensik, a 19-year-old Republican Ceska, previously defeated Serbian tennis player Dusan Lajovic, with a score of 6-3 and 6-2.

Meanwhile, in the women's number, the defending champion of the US Open and Australian Open, Aryna Sabalenka, faces a tough test in the opening set against Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva, before winning with a score of 7-6 (2) and 6-4.

Then, Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, who recovered from a shoulder injury that ended the 2024 season early, fought hard to beat Armenian tennis player Elina Avantesyan, with a score of 6-4, 1-6, and 6-4.

He hit the quarter-finals of his first tournament since the Berlin Open in June 2024.

Bad luck was experienced by third seed Daria Kasatkina, who lost 1-6, 6-2, and 7-5 against fellow Russian tennis player, Polina Kushermetova. Meanwhile, his compatriot Mirra Andreeva easily defeated Linda Noskova with a score of 6-3 and 6-0.

Australian Open's two-time champion, Victoria Azarenka, was also eliminated after the Belarusian players were beaten 6-4 and 6-4 by Republican Ceska, Marie Bouzkova.