![\"Dino](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/prizmic-jeddah-2025-feature.jpg\")
<\/p>\n Player Features
\n Djokovic\u2019s praise lingers as Prizmic charts his own path in Jeddah<\/p>\n
Croatian won two ATP Challenger Tour trophies in 2025<\/p>\n
December 18, 2025<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Corinne Dubreuil\/ATP Tour<\/p>\n
Dino Prizmic is in action in Jeddah this week.
\n By Sam Jacot<\/p>\n
\u201cI love the way he uses every inch of the court. He is comfortable coming in, he defends incredibly well\u2026 I felt I was playing myself in a mirror.\u201d<\/p>\n
When praise like that comes from Novak Djokovic<\/a>, it tends to linger. For Dino Prizmic<\/a>, it arrived early and emphatically in a career still in its opening chapters.<\/p>\n At last year\u2019s Australian Open<\/a>, the 20-year-old Croatian pushed Djokovic to four sets in their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, earning the admiration of the former World No. 1. Eighteen months later, Luciano Darderi<\/a> echoed those sentiments after beating Prizmic in the quarter-finals of the ATP 250 in Umag.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope he\u2019s going to be Top 10 really soon,\u201d Darderi said. \u201cI think Croatia is in good hands.\u201d<\/p>\n This week in Jeddah, where Prizmic is competing at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF<\/a>, those endorsements remain a source of motivation rather than pressure.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s a really good feeling, but I know that I need to work a lot, especially to be in the Top 10,\u201d Prizmic told ATPTour.com in Jeddah. \u201cI need to continue to play lots of tournaments at a very high level to get near those levels, but I will try.<\/p>\n \u201cIs there a pressure? No, definitely more confidence. There is no pressure in that part.\u201d<\/p>\n Prizmic first announced himself in 2023 by lifting the Roland Garros<\/a> boys\u2019 singles trophy, fulfilling a personal goal to finish his junior career with a Grand Slam title. His breakout moment soon followed under the lights of Rod Laver<\/a> Arena, where he stood toe-to-toe with Djokovic on one of the sport\u2019s grandest stages.<\/p>\n But momentum stalled in 2024. A series of injuries forced Prizmic off course, limiting his schedule and disrupting his rhythm. Rather than rush his return, the Croatian opted for patience, a decision that paid dividends this season.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was really a great year for me, especially at the end of the year. I played very well and had a very good run,\u201d Prizmic said. \u201cIt\u2019s really a pleasure to be here in Jeddah and to be part of this tournament.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn’t play lots of tournaments because I was injured still a little. I played like 15, 16 tournaments. And I’m the most proud because I didn\u2019t play many tournaments, but when I played, I played very good.\u201d<\/p>\n Back at full health, Prizmic rebuilt his confidence on the ATP Challenger Tour, capturing two titles in 2025. He also qualified for the US Open<\/a> main draw and claimed three tour-level victories, tangible signs of progress as he continues his transition to the professional ranks.<\/p>\n \u201cPlayers have more experience now, which is normal. But I think I am adjusting to the level,” said Prizmic, who went 27-9 at that level this year. “Playing the Challengers compared to juniors is different, but I think everyone can adapt.\u201d<\/p>\n That adaptability will be tested again this week in Jeddah. After losing to Nishesh Basavareddy<\/a> in his opening match, Prizmic faces a likely must-win encounter against Justin Engel<\/a> on Thursday as he looks to keep his campaign alive.<\/p>\n Still just 20, the Croatian remains focused on steady growth rather than fast-forwarded expectations. The praise is there. The talent is evident. And while the road ahead may twist, the Croatian appears ready for each course correction.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Player Features Djokovic\u2019s praise lingers as Prizmic charts his own path in Jeddah Croatian won two ATP Challenger…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":355794,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[565],"tags":[64,63,85,747],"class_list":["post-355793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-sports","tag-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=355793"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355793\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/355794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=355793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=355793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=355793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a><\/p>\n