ATP Tour

Van de Zandschulp, proven giant-slayer, eyes Djokovic shock at Australian Open

Ousting the sport’s elite is never meant to be easy, but Botic van de Zandschulp has repeatedly shown he possesses the belief, and the game, to trouble the very best on the biggest stages.

The 30-year-old Dutchman will look to tap into that giant-slaying pedigree again on Saturday, when he faces record 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic in the third round at Melbourne Park. It is a daunting assignment, but not an unfamiliar one for Van de Zandschulp, who has beaten ATP No. 1 Club members Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal within the past two years — and holds a recent victory over Djokovic himself.

“It’s always nice to play one of the best of the game. It’s a nice matchup as well, I know I can play well during them and I’ve proved it in the past,” Van de Zandschulp told ATPTour.com in Melbourne. “I know what I’m capable of… It gives you a confidence boost when you see those names in the draw. Of course you are scared, but further into the tournament when I have some matches in, I feel I can beat a lot of players.

“Matches like these against Novak, if you can enjoy it during it, it’s a really nice occasion.”

Van de Zandschulp prevailed in his most recent Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Djokovic last year at Indian Wells, a match he remembers vividly. Entering the main draw as a lucky loser, the Dutchman produced a clinical deciding-set performance to spring the upset.

“I didn’t feel great at that time, but now I am feeling a little bit better tennis-wise,” Van de Zandschulp said, reflecting on their Indian Wells clash. “Hopefully that helps me… Here in Australia, it’s one of his favourite tournaments, one of his favourite courts, so it will be a different test. He was struggling there [in Indian Wells]. The conditions were tough: pretty hot, pretty bouncy.”

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Djokovic is far from the only superstar Van de Zandschulp has tested — and toppled — in recent seasons. He stunned Alcaraz in the second round of the 2024 US Open and, two months later, famously brought Nadal’s storied career to a close at the Davis Cup Finals.

Each victory offered a different form of validation, reinforcing his ability not only to match the sport’s elite shot for shot, but also to manage the moment and the magnitude of the occasion.

“Beating Alcaraz over five sets is not an easy task, but beating him 3-0 was something I couldn’t imagine before stepping on court,” Van de Zandschulp said. “[Beating] Rafa was also pretty special because it’s not often in tennis you know who you are going to play a month in advance.

“I found out that it was going to be his last tournament and that we were going to play Spain in the quarters. If he was going to play, I would be the one to play him, so I thought a lot about the match when usually you don’t have time to. That was, mentally, the toughest match for me.”

When Van de Zandschulp walks onto Rod Laver Arena this weekend, it will mark his third consecutive year competing on the iconic stage. He fell to Jannik Sinner and Alex de Minaur in first-round encounters in the past two editions of the hard-court major. Those were experiences that, while bruising, have helped remove the novelty of the occasion.

Now, the Dutchman is back in the Australian Open third round for the first time since 2022, having dropped just one set en route after victories over 27th seed Brandon Nakashima and Shang Juncheng.

“I’m really happy about it. It’s been a while since I won a match here,” said Van de Zandschulp. “The last two years, I had some tough draws with Sinner and De Minaur in the first round. But I’m playing some good tennis again - I started the season pretty well.

“It’s good I already played there [Rod Laver Arena] as it’s nothing new, but it’s still going to be a huge challenge.”

Part of that renewed confidence can be traced back to a more settled offseason — a rarity in recent years. With Davis Cup commitments stretching deep into November, Van de Zandschulp has often had limited time to reset physically and mentally.

“The last couple of years, we have played Davis Cup in November, so the offseason has been pretty tough, pretty busy,” he added. “Now I already had three weeks off, five weeks practice, so I think that did me pretty well, especially for the mind, being at home a little bit longer. I really enjoyed my offseason and have started fresh.”

Against Djokovic on his most decorated stage, Van de Zandschulp will once again arrive as the underdog. Yet history suggests that is a role he knows how to embrace.