Lot to learn for Djokovic junior
Marko Djokovic, younger brother of world No.3 Novak, made his ATP Tour debut in Thailand on Wednesday but was handed a lesson by Finlands Jarkko Nieminen.
Marko Djokovic, playing his first main draw match on the main tour, got walloped by the experienced left-hander 6-2, 6-0 in just 47 minutes.
Nieminen was so dominant that he dropped just six points in the second set, but his opponent remained positive after the match.
Being here is amazing, playing in the ATP is a huge experience,ā Marko said.
āThereās a lot of expectation but there are positives and negatives,ā he said. ā[Novak] helps me so much with things, with my fitness, my game, but the negative thing is it puts me under pressure.
āEveryone expects me to be like him, they come to watch me play because Iām his brother.
āPeople have told me I play with the same technique as Novak. They say itās like watching him. My backhand is very similar to his.
āIām trying to think like him, Iāve watched him all my life, but Iām also trying to be my own player,ā he added. āI want to be Marko, not Novakās brother.ā
However, things didnt get much better for the Djokovic family later in the day when Marko and Novak got thumped by Fabrice Santoro and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-2, 6-2 in the doubles.
The middle of the three Djokovic brothers (Novak is 21, while the youngest, Djordje, is 13) was handed a wild card into the Bangkok indoor event.
Marko Djokovic has played five events in addition to this weekās tournament since his senior debut in June four Futures tournaments and one qualifying match at the ATP Umag event. His current singles ranking is No.1734.
Novak is the top seed at this weekās tournament.
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