Novak Djokovic hopes to win his 25th Grand Slam title later this month at the Australian Open, but he won’t go into the fortnight on a high note.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion lost fairly handily to 6-foot-11 American Reilly Opelka, 7-6(6), 6-3, in the quarterfinals at Brisbane.

It was the first top-10 win since 2021 for the 27-year-old Opelka, who hasn’t played a full season since 2022 due to injury.

“He’s the greatest player the sport has ever seen,” Opelka said in his on-court interview, via The Tennis Letter. “It’s difficult being in his position. He can scout me or other opponents all day long… the reality is we have nothing to lose against him. You end up playing more free. You take a lot more risk because if you play your normal level or even above it he’s gonna win every time. It’s tough in his position because he gets guys that roll the dice. On a day like this when a lot of things go my way, that’s how it works out.”

Djokovic is now out of the singles and doubles in Brisbane, having lost with partner Nick Kyrgios on Wednesday to the top-seeded team of Nikola Mektic of Croatia and New Zealander Michael Venus.

Opelka advances to a semifinal matchup with Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

Djokovic will look ahead to the Australian Open beginning Jan. 12.

He is hoping to break a tie with Margaret Court and win his record 25th major.

The Serb said before the tournament he plans to “play more tournaments” than in 2024 and believes he can keep playing at a high level for “years to come.”

“I’m looking for a good start to the season, I’m looking for more consistency across all the tournaments,” Djokovic, ranked No. 7 in the world, said in Brisbane, Australia.

“I’m looking to play more tournaments this year than I played last season, so hopefully also my level is going to go up,” added Djokovic, who turns 38 in May. “Hopefully I will win a few more tournaments and my ranking will go up to where it should be.”