Novak Djokovic recovers from his worst first set at Wimbledon to reach quarters

Irish Examiner

18 hours ago

Novak Djokovic was relieved to overcome a historically bad start – and the curse of Roger Federer – to reach a 16th Wimbledon quarter-final.
The Serbian has not fallen before the final at the All England Club since 2017 but he will need to raise his level if he is to maintain that record after scrapping to a 1-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 victory over Alex De Minaur in three hours and 19 minutes.
Djokovic cannot have played many worse sets at Wimbledon than the opening one here, with the Serbian making 16 unforced errors, including four double faults and dropping serve three times.
It is the sixth time Djokovic has lost a set 6-1 at the All England Club but the first time he has done so in the first set.
Watching from the Royal Box was the 38-year-old's long-time rival Federer, and Djokovic said at the end with a smile: 'Sometimes I wish I had the serve and volley and nice touch from the gentleman that is standing right there. That would help.
'This is probably the first time he is watching me and I have won the match. The last couple of times I lost, so it's good to break the curse.
'Obviously he's one of the greatest legends of our game in the history of tennis. So it always is extra special when he's in the stands.'
Djokovic set about flipping the script at the start of the second set, breaking the De Minaur serve only for the Australian to hit back after an exhausting game lasting nearly 19 minutes.
Ahead went Djokovic again, the Serbian putting his finger to his ear and whipping up the crowd after a 34-shot rally, and back came De Minaur, but the seven-time champion managed to hold on to his final break, resisting more pressure from the Australian.
De Minaur was devastated to have to pull out of a quarter-final against Djokovic 12 months ago after hurting his hip, and he continued to cause problems for his opponent, opening up a 4-1 lead in the fourth set.
But a chance to lead 5-1, and very likely force a decider, went begging and Djokovic reacted in ruthless fashion with five games in a row.
Roger Federer was in the Royal Box (Mike Egerton/PA)
Djokovic blamed nerves and a swirling wind for his poor start, saying: 'It was very challenging for me. I was not feeling good, not finding the right timing. He was obviously feeling that.
'Honestly big, big relief to finish the match in four sets. Credit to him for making me feel very uncomfortable on the court. Just fortunate to get through this one.'
Next up, Djokovic finds an unexpected quarter-finalist facing him in the shape of 22nd seed Flavio Cobolli – although he is not even the first person in his family to take on the Italian this fortnight.
Novak Djokovic and son Stefan (Mike Egerton/PA)
Djokovic revealed his 10-year-old son Stefan has hit with Cobolli on the practice courts, and the sixth seed joked: 'Of course, I'll have a conversation with my son and see what he has noticed in the game of Cobolli the other day.
'He (Cobolli) is a big fighter. We get along well. We practise whenever we can. We just had a hug. I definitely need to work on my game and start the match better than I did today.'
De Minaur, who was cheered on by fiancee Katie Boulter, is still looking for his big grand slam breakthrough, and he said: 'In the bigger moments today I think my level dipped, and I didn't rise up to the occasion as I needed to if I wanted to beat someone as good as him.'
Flavio Cobolli hugs his team after reaching the quarter-finals (Jordan Pettitt/PA)
Cobolli dropped his first set of the tournament but saw off former finalist Marin Cilic 6-4 6-4 6-7 (4) 7-6 (3) to reach his first slam quarter-final.
Cilic complained afterwards about being scheduled first on court, saying: 'I feel bitter because why is there a need to play at 11am?'
American Ben Shelton, meanwhile, had the familiar feeling of beating Italian Lorenzo Sonego having now done so at three grand slams in a row.
They are the first pair to meet in singles at the opening three majors in a year since Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe back in 1984, with Shelton triumphing 3-6 6-1 7-6 (1) 7-5.