Djokovic recovers from lacklustre first set against De Minaur to reach Wimbledon last eight yet again
The Serb battled his way into a 16th quarter-final at SW19.
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Novak Djokovic battled back from an horrific first set to book his spot in a 16th quarter-final at Wimbledon, defeating Alex de Minaur 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
The match took place in cooler and windier conditions that had been experienced during the first week, with both players struggling, somewhat, early on.
From the outset, it was clear that the Australian – and his team – had a plan to be aggressive on every short shot from the 24-time Grand Slam champion, attacking his forehand on every opportunity – a tactic which proved fruitful.
However, in typical Djokovic fashion, he would not be deterred, even recovering from a 4-1 deficit in the fourth set by winning the final five games to close out the match.
De Minaur has now lost his last 12 matches against top-10 players at Grand Slams.
Djokovic: “I was glad to hang in tough and win”
“I’m still trying to process the whole match and everything that happened on the court,” admitted Djokovic.
“It wasn’t a great start from me, it was a great start for him, obviously. He broke my serve three times in the first set, very windy conditions on the court. He was managing better, from the back of the court, I didn’t have many solutions to be honest, but I kind of reset myself in the second. It was a tough game to close out the second set, that was a bit of a momentum shift where I felt like ‘I was back in the game’.
“So many cat-and-mouse points, so many slices, he is one of the quickest, if not the quickest player that we have on the tour. Obviously, on the grass the ball bounces very low and it’s extremely difficult to play someone like him if you’re not feeling the ball really well.
“He exposes all of your weaknesses and I was glad to hang in tough and win this one.”
It’s extremely difficult to play someone like him if you’re not feeling the ball really well
8-time champion Roger Federer was in attendance on Monday, sitting in the front row of the Royal Box – something which Djokovic also noted: “I was slightly more nervous coming into this match, and I think that was reflected in the first set. It was a very difficult encounter, a lot of challenging moments.
“Sometimes I wish I had a serve-and-volley and nice touch from the gentleman that is standing right there (pointing to Federer), that would help.
“But, sometimes I have to run a lot, and that is fine, it’s part of my game, I was trying to mix it up obviously, as I said, I didn’t feel the ball so well in the first set and, as the match progressed, I got used to the conditions and his pace, and I was starting to find my forehands.”
The Serb will next face Flavio Cobolli, who defeated Marin Cilic during his respective fourth-round match.
