Djordje Djokovic: We are getting ready for a match between two great rivals – Novak and Stan

The tournament’s director, Djordje Djokovic did not hide his contentment after the main draw ceremony and also shared with the reporters when to expect the arrival of World No. 1 Novak Djokovic to Banjaluka.

– Novak is expected to arrive to Banjaluka tomorrow, or on Monday. Anyhow, he will be here soon to get ready for a match with his great rival, said Srpska Open 2023 Director Djordje Djokovic, hinting at a second-round match with one of the best tennis players in the world, Stan Wawrinka.

The tournament’s director also commented on the rest of the very interesting draw.

– An incredible draw. All local tennis players are in the upper part of the draw. There are no easy opponents. I sincerely expect to watch another excellent tennis battle between Novak and Wawrinka. This will definitely be an interesting tournament. We will have an opportunity to watch incredible matches between great rivals. Major tennis names have arrived to Banjaluka and that makes me very happy.

A possible “mood breaker” could be rain forecast for Banjaluka but we are all hoping that rain would avoid the tennis complex.

– We don’t have Plan B if it rains. The only thing left to do in the case of rain is to join our forces and “blow off the rain”. We did not have any rain today. I’m not a weather expert but I would like to see strong wind to chase the clouds away. That would really be helpful.

In the last couple of months, Banjaluka has changed a great deal and shines with a new light, something players who visited Republika Srpska before already noticed.

– Players’ comments are more than positive. Some of them have recently visited Banjaluka when they participated at the ATP Challenger and they have all noticed an incredible change. They’ve found a different city, not only the tennis centre but the streets as well. Banjaluka has been refurbished and now it is not only more beautiful but cleaner too. We are grateful to the people of Republika Srpska who are showing their support on the streets of the city but also on social media. It is a privilege to be in Banjaluka today. We hope that this event will mark only the beginning of major events in this city, Djokovic concluded.