Novak Djokovic has been confirmed to start his season at the Brisbane International and Pat Rafter seems very pleased.
The 37-year-old has not played in Brisbane since 2020 and will use the ATP 250 to boost his preparations for the Australian Open.
This will also mark the first tournament that Andy Murray will be in Djokovic’s box after he was announced as his coach in November.
Pat Rafter is thrilled with Djokovic’s participation and used the opportunity to credit those who have chosen to play exhibition events.
What Pat Rafter said about exhibition events after Novak Djokovic confirmed to play Brisbane
Novak Djokovic will play in Brisbane before trying to win his 11th Australian Open title.
This is one of the premier events that will take place before the First Grand Slam of the year, including the Adelaide International and Auckland Open in New Zealand.
Rafter prefers to see the competitors spend their time preparing for and playing in these events leading up to the Australian Open, rather than playing exhibition matches.
These are becoming more common in tennis, as Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton are due to play an exhibition at Madison Square Garden in New York, while Casper Ruud and Holger Rune competed in Norway and Denmark.
“This is not just preparation for the Australian Open – this is a fair dinkum tournament. You want to be making sure you’re playing your best tennis here,” Rafter said. “To be here and preparing is what you should be doing.
“A lot of guys go and chase some money, go to the Middle East or something like that, to play but for me, that’s not the best lead-in for the Australian Open.
“It’s about winning, preparing, playing the best matches, and as many matches as you can. That’s all part of your journey to the Aussie Open.”
Has Novak Djokovic won the Brisbane International?
Djokovic has 99 titles to his name, but the Brisbane International is not on that list.
The Serbian had only previously played in the city for the ATP 250 event back in 2009, when he lost 6-4, 6-4 to Ernests Gulbis.
Djokovic did compete in Brisbane back in 2020, but he featured in the ATP Cup, an inter-team tournament where players represented their countries.
The former World number one led Serbia to victory after beating Spain, featuring Rafael Nadal, in the final to claim victory.
He went on to win his eighth Australian Open title, defeating Dominic Thiem in five pulsating sets.
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