Karlovic knows nothing of Aussie wildcard

Anything Australian wildcard Jordan Thompson throws up in his second-round clash with Ivo Karlovic will surprise the 27th seed.

Croatian giant Ivo Karlovic knows nothing of dogged Australian wildcard Jordan Thompson and admits he'll trawl through videos on the internet in order to gain some insight on the second-round opponent.

In his French Open debut Thompson booked a second-round showdown with the veteran 27th seed following a straight-sets victory over Serbian qualifier Laslo Djere.

But as Karlovic was on court at the same time, the power-serving 37-year-old didn't get a chance to cast an eye over his young rival.

Which means he'll spend the hours leading up to their match hunching his giant frame over a laptop to figure out what to expect.

"I really don't know anything about him but I'm going to try to ask around and I'm going to try to look at his matches on the internet," he said.

"Hopefully I will get a little bit of the insights."

One red flag for Karlovic is the presence of Australia's two-time grand slam champion, and current Davis Cup coach, Lleyton Hewitt during Thompson's victory on Monday.

Karlovic knows Hewitt well, having edged the retired former world No.1 four-two in their career head to head - including a famous victory of the then-defending Wimbledon champion in 2003.

But while he has fond memories of clashing with Hewitt on the court, he knows full well what a danger he presents as a member of Thompson's support staff.

"That is good for him that he's with Lleyton - Lleyton knows about everybody, he knows tactics," Karlovic said.

"He's going to help him a lot. That's for sure."

Karlovic has struggled with injury in 2016, pulling out of a fourth round clash with Novak Djokovic with a knee complaint while also dropping out of a tournament in Acapulco in February.

But in an ominous warning for Thompson, the 211cm Karlovic has finally shaken his ailments.

"My injury is over so that is good - now I can play without pain finally," he said.


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Source: AAP



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