Novak Djokovic's concerning form prompts tennis insider to make bold prediction for Serb's Australian Open 3R clash

Tennis insider Gill Gross delivered a concerning assessment of Novak Djokovic's form at the ongoing 2025 Australian Open ahead of the Serb's third-round clash against Tomas Machac on Friday, January 17. According to Gross, Djokovic will have to perform much better against Machac than he did against his opponents across the first two rounds.

Speaking on a recent episode of the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast, Gill Gross opined that Novak Djokovic was "outplayed" at times by Nishesh Basavareddy in the first round and then Jaime Faria in the second.

Furthermore, the tennis insider suggested that a similar performance against Tomas Machac in the third round may prove costly for the 24-time Major champion.

"There have been portions of both matches where he's (Djokovic's) been outplayed, which, is okay, but he's going to have to step it up against Tomas Machac, a guy, who in Tennis Abstract's Elo ratings is ninth, a guy who has played many top players in the last three months including Alcaraz in Shanghai, United Cup he played Casper Ruud, he played Taylor Fritz," Gross said. (at 30:00)

Gross went on to stand by his belief that Machac would cause an upset by beating the record 10-time Australian Open winner.

"He (Machac) didn't win those matches, but every single time he has stepped on the court with a top player in the last three months, Machac has looked like he belongs right there. So, I picked that as an upset before the tournament, and nothing I've seen out of Djokovic suggests that like, right now I should change it," Gross added.

Novak Djokovic's 2025 Australian Open campaign got off to a disastrous start against 18-year-old Basavareddy, who deservedly won the first set against the Serb 6-4. However, the former World No. 1 eventually raised his level and won the match.

Against Faria, the 24-time Grand Slam champion started on the front foot and produced a dominant 6-1 win in the first set. However, in the second, the Serb's form dipped, which allowed the young Portuguese back into the contest. Once again though, it was the Serb who ultimately sealed his progress into the third round of the 2025 Australian Open with a four-set win.

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"Novak Djokovic and I have 1-1 for a head-to-head" - Tomas Machac

Tomas Machac (Source: Getty)

High on confidence after overcoming the big-serving Reilly Opelka in the second round of the 2025 Australian Open, Tomas Machac laid bare his confidence about facing Novak Djokovic to Sportskeeda.

"I'm looking forward to this match. We have 1-1 for a head-to-head. I’m really looking forward to the battle and I’ll definitely enjoy it. I'm going for every match with confidence because otherwise there’s no chance to win even the best so really looking forward to it," Machac said.

The Czech's first-ever ATP Tour-level encounter with the Serb came at the 2023 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Round of 32, which the latter won 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(1). However, Machac levelled up his head-to-head record against the former World No. 1 with a 6-4, 0-6, 6-1 win in the semifinals of the 2024 Geneva Open.