‘On another level’: Novak Djokovic looks winning | Novak Djokovic

[ad_1]

In the match leading up to the match in question, Andrei Rublev outlasted Holger Rohn with a net rope and then declared to Rod Laver Arena how unhappy he was facing Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. “No one wants to confront Novak,” he said. “I’d rather be in the other half of the draw.”

When he was reminded that Djokovic wasn’t in the quarterfinals yet, and that he still had to play Alex de Minaur to get there, he felt embarrassed. He said, “Oh, my God.” “I’m sorry.”

Rublev’s assumption – though premature – reversed the possibilities. Despite Djokovic’s injury, and despite De Minaur’s recent form, not many supported the Australian on Monday. However, the method of the result came as a shock. Not because Djokovic doesn’t know how to win, but because he won by playing his best.

Jim Courier chose not to ask Djokovic how he beat him so convincingly, but why he beat him so convincingly. “Because I wanted to,” said Djokovic. He smiled while speaking. He knew she was rude. He also knew it was pointless to continue that sentence with, “I can’t say I’m sorry you didn’t watch a longer game.”

But as evidenced by the previous two and six hours, during which he lost five matches, this was also the truth. Since Djokovic won his ninth Australian Open in 2021, he has been on a relentless pursuit, almost lighting up the horizon for a 10th-place finish. He landed in Melbourne and was deported without hitting a ball and the federal government’s visa ban was lifted to ensure he was allowed to stay this time around.

He now sacrifices his alternative medicine views by “taking too many pills.” “Not that kind of pill,” he said, but anti-inflammatories to mask the pain from his hamstring injury—the only remaining barrier to total domination. “It wasn’t obvious that I was dealing with an injury,” he said. “I didn’t feel anything.”

Novak Djokovic overshadowed Alex de Minaur. Photo: Cliff Brunskill/Getty Images

de minor did. When Djokovic hits the ball with full force you can feel it from the stands. It blasts through you and vibrates your organs on its way out. Suffering from a wandering spleen, De Minaur was dumbfounded by the sheer weight of his shots, and his speed—famous on the tour—was nullified by a man with a leg and a half.

Part of it was definitely mental, because Djokovic had that look in his eye – Kubrick Stare. He even stretched his hamstrings like he was about to kill you with it. This match was a horror show, not because De Minaur was remarkably bad but because his opponent was remarkably good. Prior to that, one might have asserted Stefanos Tsitispas as the favorite of men. As it stands, Tsitsipas is better than the rest and Djokovic is better than him.

Sign up for Guardian Australia Sport

Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and commentary from our Australian sports bureau

Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertisements, and content funded by third parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

De Minaur is 12 years younger than Djokovic. At 23, he’s ranked 24th in the world — three places below Nick Kyrgios — but he’s rarely in the spotlight. Even the Australian wildcard has been touted as more outperforming over the past week than the country’s most consistent player, who has beaten Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev in the past two months.

De Minaur has never played with Djokovic before. This could have played its part, because there were some choice points in the third set when he tried something new, forcing his opponent close to the net and negotiating a difficult backspin, which the Serb could not do within the confines of the court.

Overall, though, it was outclassed in almost every element. It must have been very lonely, on Center Court with a home crowd watching as your first serve is returned just as quickly as your second and your chances of making a home quarter-final debut unravel with every point.

“What I experienced was Novak probably very close to his best,” said De Minaur. “If that’s the level, he’s definitely the guy who’s going to win the title. It was what felt like on another level for me. I was just trying to hold on.”

“At first he was very solid, then he relaxed more and started swinging. I felt like he could hit winners from everywhere on the court. I didn’t really know what to do.”

Rublev confirmed his next opponent and perhaps his ultimatum is fair. “He’s a well-established player in the top five, top 10 already for a few years,” Djokovic said. “Incredible firepower, especially from the serve angle and forehand. Just a very explosive player – a bit like De Minaur, so hopefully the result will be the same.”

[ad_2]