First came the violin before Novak Djokovic’s saxophone racquet celebration directed his children’s way.
His first trip to Australia accompanied by his wife and two children warranted the rare double reaction to victory and what better time for it than after he extended a record over Gael Monfils at the Brisbane International.
The top seed was dominant in a 6-3 6-3 victory over the 38-year-old Frenchman, a win that pushed out his tour record unbeaten streak over his opponent to 20 wins and inched him closer to his 100th career title. A first meeting with American Reilly Opelka awaits in the quarterfinals.
The march towards a 100th singles title goes on!@DjokerNole accounts for Gael Monfils 6-3 6-3 to move into the quarterfinals.#BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/D4hTB5Ilvx
— Brisbane International (@BrisbaneTennis) January 2, 2025
“Both of my children told me to have two different kinds of celebration,” Djokovic said. “My daughter told me to keep going with violin if I win and my son told me to play the saxophone, so I tried to incorporate both kind of celebrations.
“It’s first time for me to have my family Down Under. It’s a very long trip but they came here to be with me to support me and spending a lot of great quality time together off the court, so my heart is full and it allows me to play my best tennis.”
Djokovic first met Monfils at tour level in the first round of the 2005 US Open, which he claimed in five sets. A first tour title followed a year later in Amersfoort, the Netherlands.
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Win No.20 at Pat Rafter Arena was swift and clinical. He faced just one break point – saved with an ace – and broke on all three opportunities he created.
“We’ve been playing for many years. I know Gael since I was 15, he was 16. We played quite a few matches in junior level and professional circuit. I’ve had a good score against him over the years but you know, we’ve had some incredible battles on different surfaces,” Djokovic said.
“He’s one of the best if not the best athlete in our sport that I have seen over the years. Incredible agility, flexibility, speed. Such a great player to watch, so exciting, a great character, great charisma, he attracts many fans around the world to the tennis stadium. Tonnes of respect for him and hopefully we can play some more before we both retire.”