When Radu Albot was on the way back to his hotel after his US Open final-round qualifying win Thursday against Shintaro Mochizuki, his wife, Doina, was scrolling through the draw on her phone to see if qualifiers had been placed.
Doina needed to scroll for quite a while — to the very bottom of the 128-player draw, in fact. The Moldovan had been slotted to face 24-time Grand Slam champion and second seed Novak Djokovic.
“My reaction was that I never played him, so it’s interesting, it will be interesting to do that, but also at the same you expect when you qualify to get an easier draw, of course, than to play against the second seed,” Albot told ATPTour.com. “I practised with Rafa, practised together with Roger, but I never practised with Djokovic and it’s going to be the first time that we’ll play on the same court.”
The experience will be made more special by having his wife and daughter, Adeline, with him. Adeline went with her mother into Arthur Ashe Stadium to take a photo in the world’s biggest tennis-only stadium not knowing her father would soon play there.
The four-year-old has in her time on Tour met the likes of Federer, Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Perhaps her most special encounter came earlier this week in the US Open’s player dining area. Adeline met the venue’s namesake: Billie Jean King.
“It’s actually cool. I think two years ago we were getting these little toys, dolls, they were plastic. And it was also [Billie Jean King] with the tennis racquet in hand,” Albot said. “And she was playing all the time with this little toy, with the racquet and now she actually met in person, the real person of that toy.”
Albot added: “For me, seeing her and my wife in the stands is something special. You play all your life, and at one moment, you have an extra supporter in your team, a little one, so this is really interesting to feel.”
This will be the 34-year-old’s 30th major main draw appearance, but the first time he faces a Slam champion at a major.
“Of course, I’m not going to be crying and be like, ‘Oh, I’m unlucky’. Of course. I’m looking forward to this challenge, and I would like to see what I can do, how I can play, and how the match is going to be, especially that it’s going to be on a big court with a full house,” Albot said. “It’s going to be all over the world on TV. I already got so many messages from back home about wishing me luck and beating Novak that I don’t have anything else to do, just to go there and to do my best, to compete at my best.
“I know if I play good, I’ll be happy. Of course, I go on the court to win. But we know who Djokovic is. We know his records. We know his achievements. We know his confidence, especially after winning the Olympics now recently. So I’ll just go there and try to focus on myself, and if I play well, I think I’ll be happy with that.”
The No. 138 player in the PIF ATP Rankings will be able to rely on previous meetings against an all-time great. He twice played Roger Federer, including a clash in Miami five years ago, when Albot won the first set before succumbing in a tight three sets.
“I think it helps. I think it helps also what to expect from the crowd and I think it also helps the experience of what to expect from one of the greatest of all time as well,” Albot said. “When I was playing against Roger, I was going to the court only with the idea to win the match. I was not thinking, ‘Oh, I wish I take a game’, or, ‘I wish I take a set’, or something like that. No, I was going just to win.”
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The nine-time ATP Challenger Tour champion explained that maintaining that mentality helped him against Federer, but facing Djokovic will be different.
“Novak is more complex. He has great physical [attributes], of course. He is moving great. He has great shots from both wings, forehand and backhand and serve and at the net, he’s good as well. So from this experience that I have from the previous matches playing Roger, Andy and other big guys, it will help me for sure the next match,” Albot said. “Just on the court, especially in a five-setter, it’s a little bit different, because a lot of things can happen during the match. It’s a long match, and I just have to be prepared mentally and to make the correct adjustments during the match.”
A decade ago, Albot qualified for a major main draw for the first time at Flushing Meadows. He has since reached World No. 39 and won an ATP Tour title in Delray Beach, but the Moldovan this week was thinking about that moment.
“It’s not so easy to play tennis at all. It’s not easy,” Albot said. “But to be here, and to be here alone, and to play three matches, and to win all three in a Grand Slam and to qualify for the big event, especially when you’re coming from a small country where there is no no financial support, there is no staff support, there is nothing — you’re doing this by yourself in an event like this — that is huge.”
Ten years later, Albot will compete in the US Open main draw for the 10th time. The Moldovan, who will play four-time tournament winner Djokovic Monday evening on Opening Night inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, is excited for the platform.
“I’m very proud that I can represent the country because in the U.S., not everybody knows about small European countries. I’m coming from a small country that is not very popular at all. I would like them to know that I am from Moldova,” Albot said. “Second of all, I would like all the people to know that I’m on the court, me, myself and my team, and you can say all my friends, and all my country, they’re on the court too, to compete and to win.
“Third of all, I would like them to know that everything is possible, even if you’re coming from a country where you have not so many chances in your life, or so many possibilities… You can still make it to the big tour.”
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