Novak Djokovic will start his Australian Open 2017 bid against Spain's Fernando Verdasco as the Serb attempts to get closer in regaining the spot in the ATP World Rankings.
Djokovic opens his Australian Open title defense against Verdasco, whom the 12-time Grand Slam winner defeated earlier this month at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha. It was a tight battle for Djokovic, who needed to save five match points in the second set to cap a come-from-behind win against the 33-year-old Spaniard, and approaching their first round match in the first Grand Slam event of the year, Djokovic sees it as a "huge challenge."
"I just see it as a huge challenge. I hope I'll be able to deliver," Djokovic said, reports the ATP's official website. "Fernando is a very complete player on any surface. [Any] given day, if things go right, he can beat really anybody on any surface."
Djokovic leads Verdasco by 9-4 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head matchup and has won four of their last five meetings. The last time Verdasco defeated Djokovic was in 2010 at the ATP Rome Masters.
After losing his place atop the summit of the world rankings, Djokovic is as motivated as ever for a seventh crown in Melbourne. But Djokovic should be cautious against the veteran Spaniard, who stunned Rafael Nadal in last year's Australian Open.
"We both need to start with the right intensity, of course. We're going to be obviously striving to do so. But I'm expecting a tough one, there's no doubt about it," Djokovic said, reports Yahoo Sports.
The winner between Djokovic and Verdasco could face either Wild Card qualifier Denis Istomin or unseeded Ivan Dodig.
Live streaming info and score updates
Watch Australian Open 2017 Novak Djokovic vs Fernando Verdasco live via AusOpen.com or Watch ESPN. Live scores will be available during game days at the Australian Open's official website.