Things looked shaky early, but Novak Djokovic eventually found his form in a fourth-round win over Alex de Minaur at Wimbledon on Monday. After dropping the first set 6-1, Djokovic rallied to win the next three sets 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals.
It looked like Djokovic could be in for an early exit after the first set. Djokovic managed to take only a single game during the set, falling into an early hole after losing 6-1. Following the match, he said he didn’t “feel the ball” and couldn’t adjust to de Minaur’s pace in the first set.
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From there, though, Djokovic figured it out. He and de Minaur played some strong, back-and-forth tennis over the next two sets. While Djokovic still had some uncharacteristic misses, he made up for that with a blazing serve that registered six aces during the match. His serve, combined with his return to form after the first set, led to Djokovic taking both the second and third sets 6-4, 6-4.
That set up a scenario where Djokovic could put de Minaur away in the fourth set. But with his back against the wall, de Minaur rallied, taking a 4-1 lead in the set, mostly due to Djokovic’s sloppy play. In the middle of the fifth game, Djokovic had already made eight unforced errors in the set. De Minaur’s lead wasn’t just due to Djokovic’s struggles. De Minaur played an excellent defensive game, making Djokovic work for each return.
Just when it looked like de Minaur would force a fifth set, Djokovic suddenly came alive. He played impeccable tennis the rest of the way, winning the next three sets with long rallies and well-placed shots, tying things up at 4-4. He then expertly returned de Minaur’s serves to take the next game, setting up a possible match-winning game in the fourth set.
De Minaur failed to return the first two serves from Djokovic, and barely managed to get to the third, which Djokivic easily returned for another point. The same thing happened on match point. Djokovic hit a fantastic serve which was returned by de Minaur, but left him out of position. Djokovic easily placed his shot on the other side of the court, taking the game, set and match to advance to the quarterfinals.
After the match, Djokovic took note of a special guest: eight-time Wimbledon winner Roger Federer, who watched Djokovic take on de Minaur.
Djokovic even joked that it might be the first match he’s won with Federer in attendance. Federer laughed and nodded at that remark. “Good to break the curse,” Djokovic quipped.
The win marked the 16th time Djokovic has moved into the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. The event has been his second-best Grand Slam over his career. Djokovic has seven wins at Wimbledon, and has played in the final at the event in each of the last six Wimbledons.
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He’ll look to continue that streak Wednesday, when he’ll take on Flavio Cobolli in the quarterfinals. The two have faced off only once, with Djokovic taking that match.
