With 24 Grand Slam singles titles to his name, Novak Djokovic can add a major mixed doubles trophy to his collection with four wins in the US Open Mixed Doubles Championship presented by Vital Proteins.
The Serb and compatriot Olga Danilovic are preparing to face Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev on Tuesday afternoon in Arthur Ashe Stadium. While on the practice courts, they took a moment to chat with ESPN about their expectations and preparations for the doubles tournament.
In a light-hearted interview, Djokovic ended with a joke that doubled as a threat. When host Chris McKendry brought up Medvedev's famously deep court positioning, a potential liability in doubles, Djokovic signed off with a zinger: "We will expose him!"
The 38-year-old provided a typically thoughtful answer when describing the challenges he faces in adjusting to doubles play: "I think [singles players] struggle mostly with the return and positioning at the net," he said.
"[In singles] we normally return to the middle of the court and you start off the rally, you start off the point. But in doubles, if you play someone that understands how to position himself or herself at the net, you're done, the point is finished. So you kind of have to find those angles and really be precise or maybe chip the return over the player. Those types of things I never practice. So I have to make those adjustments personally, also knowing when to cross, particularly when playing with Olga, trying to understand each other, because we don't get to play often."
Danilovic reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 32 last month and entered New York at world No. 41. She is also currently at a career-high doubles ranking of No. 97.
"Olga and I have been friends for a long time," Djokovic said of the partnership. "We played at the United Cup representing Serbia... We don't get to do it this quite a lot, so it's going to be fun."
