Novak Djokovic expects to find things a little tougher against France's Nicolas Mahut in the third round of the Australian Open.
It's all been a little too easy for Djokovic so far. He barely broke sweat against Paolo Lorenzi in round one and he dished out another drubbing to Santiago Giraldo in round two. However the tests are only going to get tougher from now on and Djokovic will be looking to build up sharpness for a potential fourth round clash with Milos Raonic.
First up he's got Mahut, one of the few out and out serve-volleyers left on the tour. The Frenchman bounces between the main circuit and the challenger tour but he's enjoying a great week in Australia, taking out Radek Stepanek 7-5, 7-5, 6-3 in round one.
The head-to-head between these two stands at 1-1 but they have not played since 2006.
"It's been a long time," Djokovic recollected. "I think we had just maybe one or two matches we played against each other. Look, you know, he's a very talented player. Has a nice one-handed backhand. He's somebody that prefers, I think, faster courts and surfaces. Plays very nice on grass and had that epic match with Isner."
"He uses his serve really well, I think, has really nice precision. Is one of the rare serve-volley players nowadays. I guess if we get to play on the center court or any of the bigger courts, I will try to use my, let's say, experience playing on those courts. I think surface here is a bit slower and bounce is a little bit higher, so maybe it's more suitable to my style of the game."
Unfortunately for Mahut, he's up against one of the best returners in the game and on a medium paced hard court he's going to have to serve out of his skin to keep this one competitive.
