Nuno Borges feels there will be more pressure on Novak Djokovic when they will meet in the opening round of the China Open on Wednesday. Djokovic has a stunning record in Beijing as he has lifted the trophy on six occasions (2009, ’10, ’12, ’13, ’14, ’15) and has a perfect 29-0 record at the ATP 500 event. But, the veteran has not taken part at the competition since 2015.
The Serbian will return to the tour after his first-round loss at the US Open, where he was stunned by Argentina’s Mariano Navone.
Borges, on the other hand, also suffered a first-round loss at the New York Major, suffering a straight set loss against America’s Learner Tien.
“That’s crazy,” the Portuguese star said on Djokovic’s record in Beijing. “Maybe even more pressure for him. I remember him indoors and on hard courts in general. I think he’s been very, very solid, with a crazy winning record. In some way it doesn’t surprise me, but it’s still an incredible stat.”
Djokovic and Borges have met each other once on the tour, with the former winning 7-6(4), 6-4 in the quarterfinal in Athens in November.
“I’ve watched him so much over the years and it was a great experience to play him last year in Athens,” Borges said on his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Djokovic. “I remember in that match he was more just pushing me like crazy off the court than hitting a lot of winners. I think he controls the ball really well. He controls the tempo and the momentum of the match. He’s very precise with his serves and really smart.
“It looks like he’s not there, and then he reaches a little, stretches a little more, and all of a sudden he places a really deep ball back onto the court. I think his movement is something I admire a lot.”
The Portuguese recalled that he had a couple of break points against Djokovic in his last meeting, which would give him a lot of confidence.
“I had a good match against him and had some break points late in the first set, if I’m not mistaken,” Borges said. “I was right there. I don’t see why I can’t push a little bit more. “I know it’s a very big challenge. He’ll make me play very well from the start. There’s no pressure for me. I’ll try to enjoy it as much as I can.”
