Kamil Majchrzak excited about Novak Djokovic’s ‘PlayStation’ challenge: ‘You want to learn from the best’ | ATP Tour
Indian Wells
Majchrzak excited about ‘PlayStation’ Djokovic challenge: ‘You want to learn from the best’
Pole breaks down why Djokovic is such a tough opponent
March 7, 2026
ATP Tour
Kamil Majchrzak moves up to No. 55 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
Andrew Eikenholz
A memorable moment in the career of Kamil Majchrzak was Wimbledon 2022, where the Pole had the opportunity to train with his idol Novak Djokovic. Makhzak watched the Serbian play countless games, and finally, he stood opposite him.
“It’s been great to train with Novak and witness the quality of his ball and shot, but also his attitude, overall performance and the way he prepares for training,” Majechzak told ATPTour.com. “The way he practices, the care and precision with which he makes any movement, everything is top-notch. I’m trying to get as much as possible for myself out of this practice and that’s what I’m going to do on Saturday.”
Saturday marked the first time Makhzak faced Djokovic in competition. They will kick off the Lexus ATP Head2Head Series in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open.
“I’m really excited to play against Novak. He’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time and if you want to learn, you want to learn from the best,” Makhzak said. “I’ve never had the chance to play against Rafa or Roger, so I really hope that at some point I can play against Novak and witness the highest level of anything. I’m really happy with the challenge.”
Djokovic is the winner of a record 40 ATP Masters 1000 titles and is tied with Roger Federer for the most Indian Wells titles (five each). What stands out most about his game?
“His ball speed and ball quality are unbelievable. He can hit any ball from any position,” Mahczak said. “He moves really well. He’s very precise and even robotic at times, like someone’s playing PlayStation with him. So he’s always very consistent. It’s not easy to get an advantage against him.”
Majchrzak will be confident heading into the match knowing that he is ranked No. 57 in the world, just two spots away from his career-high No. 55 in the PIF ATP Rankings. The nine-time ATP Challenger Champion believes he has improved a lot, starting with his serve and playing more aggressively, especially in crucial moments.
“My main focus in practice is [has been] “I’m going to take more action and make plays myself rather than letting the game go on and just running and hitting,” Majchrzak said. “Obviously, it’s going to be up and down, but that’s the direction we set with the coaches and that’s probably one of the reasons I’m doing better and better.”
“Normally, when the score is close, I let the opponent decide and decide the game. Now I try to do the opposite, and a lot of the time it works, a lot of the time it doesn’t work. But that’s our overall goal: to be more aggressive.”
Majchrzak started working with coach Christopher Kas in September 2024, when the Pole was still far from the top 100. Kass’s focus on not only understanding how to play in key situations, but convincing Majchrzak to execute in those moments, has helped his coach maintain consistent performances on the ATP Tour, reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon last year and the third round at last year’s U.S. Open.
Now, Makhzak will try to defeat 101-time tour champion Djokovic in one of the most important matches of his career.
“I’m really excited, normally I just watch him play just to watch the game,” Mahczak said. “Now I’ll watch carefully, prepare a strategy, prepare what to do on the court, and I’ll do my best to make things difficult for him and possibly win.”
