French Open: Karen Khachanov aiming to stun Novak Djokovic again

No player has defeated Novak Djokovic in 2020 so far. But Karen Khachanov believes he stands a chance against the world number one when the two face each other in the fourth round of the French Open at Roland Garros on Monday.

The 24-year old Russian is highly optimistic of repeating a stunning performance that saw Djokovic losing against him in the Rolex Paris Masters final in 2018.

In their all-time head-to-head tally, Djokovic leads Khachanov 3-1, and Monday's clash would be their first encounter on a clay court. So far this season, Djokovic has shown some destructive power on clay against his opponents.

The top seed has lost just 15 games across the three matches that he played at the Philippe-Chatrier Court this year. He is currently aiming for his 18th Grand Slam title, and the Serb is in the finest form of his life. Khachanov knows that he will need to rise above his normal levels to beat Djokovic on clay. But he had once beaten the world number one when no one could imagine it.

According to ATP Tour's official website, Khachanov said, "What happened in the past, it's already in the books. But every new match is a new challenge, new opportunity. Maybe mentally you know that you beat him in this particular match, [so] for sure it gives you the confidence inside to know that you've done it already at least once. [The] deeper you go, [the] tougher the opponents you face. This is what it's all about."

The winner of the match will face either the two-time US Open semi-finalist Pablo Carreno Busta or Germany's Daniel Altmaier in the next round.

Djokovic is one of the favourites to win the French Open this year. Alongside the Joker, Spain's 12-time champion Rafael Nadal and 27-year old Austrian, Dominic Thiem are contenders for the trophy. Thiem will take on Argentina's Diego Schwartzman in the quarter-finals on Tuesday. On the same day, Nadal will face Italy's Jannik Sinner at the Philippe-Chatrier Court.