MELBOURNE, Australia — It took Novak Djokovic about a week to go from worrying about whether he could play a match with his injured left hamstring to thinking he could win the Australian Open.
And a pain-free, near-perfect performance in the fourth round on Monday made a world of difference.
“Tonight, the way I played, the way I felt, gives me reason now to believe that I can go all the way,” Djokovic said after completely overwhelming 22nd-seeded Alex de Minaur 6-2. 6-1, 6-2. to reach the quarterfinals for the 13th time at Melbourne Park and the 54th time in all Grand Slam tournaments.
“I mean, I always believe that I can go all the way, in terms of my tennis,” continued Djokovic, whose 21 major championships include nine in Australia. “But the way my leg was feeling before tonight didn’t give me much hope, if you will, for the whole tournament, to go all the way. I feel that tonight, so I feel positive about it.”
A year ago, he was banned from the country before the Australian Open because he had not been vaccinated against COVID-19. He hasn’t received any vaccinations yet, but the government’s rules on the coronavirus have been relaxed.
After occasionally finding himself sidelined in his first three matches in the tournament last week, sometimes tripping to the ground, sometimes seeking treatment from a coach, the 35-year-old Serbian looked like his usual flexible self who covers the court and dominant. at the Rod Laver Arena against de Minaur.
Djokovic won 42 of 64 points that lasted five or more shots. He built up a 26-9 winners’ advantage. He won all 12 of his serve games and never faced a single break point. Generally considered the best returner in the game now, and, perhaps, ever, Djokovic earned a dozen break chances and converted half.
He broke to lead 4-2 in the first set and again to end it. He broke to go up 2-0 and 4-0 in the second. He broke by leads of 1-0 and 3-0 in the third.
“It just felt like constant pressure today. Every service game I had I wasn’t getting free points. It felt like an uphill battle from the beginning,” de Minaur said. “I was never really able to put my teeth into the game, make it difficult for them or create pressure moments and situations.”
Djokovic said he felt “fantastic” and “really great in terms of mobility and movement.”
As well as taking “a lot” of anti-inflammatory pills to help with his hamstring, Djokovic said he has been using “different treatments, machines and things” to help improve his leg. He also warned that he “doesn’t want to celebrate too early, because I don’t know how the body will respond tomorrow and for the next game.”
Yes, there are still contests to come and players to contend with.
His next opponent is No. 5 seed Andrey Rublev, who he meets with a 0-6 record in the Grand Slam quarterfinals on Wednesday. The other men’s match that day will be between two unseeded Americans in their 20s who have never gone this far in a major tournament: Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul.
The men’s quarterfinals scheduled for Tuesday: No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas against unseeded Jiri Lehecka, and No. 18 Karen Khachanov against No. 29 Sebastian Korda.
Of the remaining seven men other than Djokovic, none have won a Grand Slam title and only Tsitsipas has ever reached a major final, and that was just once, losing to, yes, you guessed it, Djokovic at the French Open in 2021. .
“I’ve been in this situation many times before,” Djokovic said, leaning back in his chair and placing both palms on his chest. “From that point of view, I think it helps me to have a more, let’s say, clear focus on the remaining days of the tournament and what I have to do. Of course I will keep an eye on all the other matches, I will see how the others do. We’ll see what happens.”
De Minaur, for his part, knows what he thinks is going to happen.
“What I experienced today was probably Novak very close to his best level, I would say,” he said. “For me, if that’s the level, I think he’s definitely the guy to take the title.”
