Coming off the back of a sublime tennis performance over compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic on Saturday, world No. 6 Novak Djokovic was made to work by Australian Alex de Minaur on Center Court for a spot at The Championships quarterfinals.
The Serbian faced a stern test posed by the talented world number 11, rallying from a set down to come through with a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win in three hours and 19 minutes.
The 24-time major champion conceded the first set to the Aussie, who raced to seal the opener 6-1 in blistering form.
“I don’t know [what I’m feeling], to be honest,” Djokovic outlined in his on-court interview. “I’m still trying to process the whole match and what happened on the court. It wasn’t a great start for me; it was a great start for him.”
On Saturday, Djokovic excelled in nearly every aspect of the game, coming out on top against an adversary who went toe-to-toe with his fellow countryman, rising to the occasion.
In other words, the man who is chasing a record-extending 25th Grand Slam delivered a tennis masterclass.
On Monday, that man showed up a little late for his fourth-round encounter, but once he did, embodying his relentless competitive spirit, the first signs of his undeniable hierarchy emerged with consistency early in the third set.
“He broke my serve three times in the first set,” Djokovic added. “It was very windy, very swirly conditions on the court. He was just managing the play better from the back of the court.
“I didn’t have many solutions, but I reset myself in the second. It was a tough game to close out the second set. I think that was maybe a momentum shift where I felt like, OK, I’m back in the game.”
Using his experience well, he pushed the reset button, fearlessly going after every ball, taking the better of a rival who did not put a foot wrong.
However, the match was far from over, and as the fourth set wore on, the Belgrade native found himself 1-4 down with all pointing to a five-set decider.
Meaning business, he kicked up a level to run the extra mile, battling back from 1-4 down to wrap up the contest 6-4, taking five games in a row to reach his 16th quarterfinal at the SW19.
On Wednesday, Djokovic will face off against 22nd seed Flavio Cobolli, who fought hard to halt former runner-up Marin Cilic impressive run at the Slam with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(4), 7-6(3) win, reaching the last eight for the first time at the tournament.