Alex de Minaur vs Novak Djokovic Wimbledon LIVE: Aussie's next crack at seven-time champion
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10.04pm
What the two combatants are saying
What the two combatants have said at Wimbledon ahead of their showdown:
Alex de Minaur: 'Novak has completed the game. He's broken all the records. It's amazing for him to still be showing up and still showing that fire and desire to win more. He's a player who can find motivation and fire from anything – and that's extremely dangerous. You don't want to give him something to get motivated about because then you'll definitely see his absolute best side.'
Novak Djokovic: 'Alex has improved his game tremendously in the last couple of years. He's playing the tennis of his life. He's definitely knocking on the door of the final stages of grand slams. You're not super excited to play Alex de Minaur on grass, that's for sure, because he's so quick, and he's a complete player. He has gained pace on his serve as well. He hits his spots very well. [I'm expecting] a very tough challenge. I'm looking forward to it. I think it's going to be a great test to see where my game is at against a top player like Alex.'
10.04pm
The players head to head
9.59pm
Good evening and welcome
Hello and welcome to our coverage of a big match for Australia at Wimbledon. Five-time grand slam quarter-finalist Alex de Minaur gets another crack at Novak Djokovic, with both players vying or a final eight spot at the All England club.
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The Australian
35 minutes ago
- The Australian
Wimbledon, Day 8: Alex de Minaur v Novak Djokovic result
Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic endured a nightmare start to his match against Australian 11th seed Alex de Minaur on Centre Court, but eventually battled back to win 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Djokovic survived a scare to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals with a tense four-set victory over de Minaur on Monday, local time, staying on course for a blockbuster clash with world number one Jannik Sinner. The loss continued a tough pattern of Grand Slam losses for the Aussie. 'It is a tough one. I'm looking right now at my grass season as a whole as a tad disappointing,' he said. 'There are positives [from this loss, but] at the moment, where I am in my career, it doesn't completely fulfil me. I want more. I want to be on the other side of this match and finishing this match coming out on top because I think that's the next step in my career. 'If I'm going to make the next step; these are the types of matches that need to start going my way.' Serbia's Novak Djokovic douses himself in water to cool down during a break in play against Australia's Alex de Minaur. Picture: AP Photo/Kin Cheung Alex De Minaur of Australia reacts against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during the Gentlemen's Singles fourth round match on day eight of The Championships Wimbledon 2025. Picture:Djokovic was broken in the first game and conceded two more breaks as De Minaur ran away with the first set. 'It wasn't a great start for me, it was a great start for Alex de Minaur obviously. I kind of reset myself in the second set,' Djokovic said. The Serb committed 16 unforced errors, including four double faults in the opener. Djokovic broke immediately at the start of the second set but then became bogged down in a game lasting nearly 19 minutes, which De Minaur won on his sixth break point. De Minaur plays a backhand against Novak Djokovic during the Gentlemen's Singles fourth round match on day eight of The Championships Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 07, 2025 in London. Picture: Getty Images Novak Djokovic break as he plays against Alex De Minaur as he tried to recover from a rocky start against the Australian. Picture: Adrian Dennis / AFP 'He's playing the tennis of his life. He's definitely knocking on the door of the final stages of Grand Slams,' said Djokovic ahead of the game. 'You're not super excited to play Alex de Minaur on grass, that's for sure, because he's so quick and he's a complete player.' Serbia's Novak Djokovic reacts as he plays against Australia's Alex de Minaur during a fourth round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025. Picture: AP Photo/Kin Cheung Both players struggled to hold onto their serve in an attritional battle but Djokovic, pleading for support from the crowd, held his nerve to level the match, letting out a roar as De Minaur went long. Alex de Minaur returns to Serbia's Novak Djokovic during a fourth round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025. Picture: AP Photo/Kin Cheung The third set went with serve until the ninth game, when De Minaur skewed a forehand wide to concede the crucial break. De Minaur found new inspiration in the fourth set, surging into a 4-1 lead but crumbled at the pivotal moment as Djokovic fought back, reeling off five games in a row to seal the win in three hours and 18 minutes. 'I was very pleased to hang in tough in the right moments and win this one,' said Djokovic. Alex De Minaur of Australia shakes hands with Novak Djokovic of Serbia at the net following his defeat during the Gentlemen's Singles fourth round match on day eight of The Championships Wimbledon 2025. Picture: Getty Images Fresh from his 100th win at Wimbledon on Saturday - making him the third player to achieve that feat after Martina Navratilova and Roger Federer - Djokovic reached his 16th quarter-final at the tournament. Aged 38, Djokovic is aiming to win a record 25th major title, breaking a tie with the long-retired Margaret Court, and a record-equalling eighth men's crown at the All England Club. That would make him the oldest Grand Slam singles champion in the Open era. Tennis legend Roger Federer waves after Serbia's Novak Djokovic beat Australia's Alex de Minaur during a fourth round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025. Picture: AP Photo/Kin Cheung Sixth-seeded Djokovic's 101st victory at Wimbledon came under the gaze of Federer, who was sitting in the front row of the royal box alongside his wife Mirka. 'It's probably the first time he's watching me and I've won the match,' said Djokovic. 'The last couple I lost, so good to break the curse. 'No, it's great, obviously, great to have Roger, a huge champion and someone that I admired and respected a lot. 'We shared the stage for so many years, and it's great to have him back.' Sinner gifted quarter-final spot by Dimitrov injury A heartbroken Grigor Dimitrov left Wimbledon's Centre Court in tears on Monday after being forced to retire injured when two sets up in his last-16 battle against Jannik Sinner, handing the top seed a remarkable reprieve. Sinner himself had suffered a nasty fall in the opening game of the fourth-round clash and appeared to be suffering discomfort in his right elbow. The Italian was unable to cope with Dimitrov's varied style across the opening two sets, and was staring at a shock exit when trailing 3-6, 5-7, 2-2. Yet the 34-year-old Bulgarian, who has now retired in each of his past five Grand Slam appearances, pulled up holding his right pectoral muscle and was unable to continue. 'Honestly I don't know what to say,' said Sinner. 'He is an incredible player, I think we all saw this today. 'He's been so unlucky in the past couple of years. An incredible player, a good friend of mine also. We understand each other very well off the court too. 'Seeing him in this position, honestly, if there would be a chance that he could play the next round, he would deserve it.' Dimitrov, the 19th seed, served an ace out wide to hold serve for 2-2 in the third set but then collapsed in pain. Sinner rushed to his aid before Dimitrov went off court, but he returned just moments later in tears and was unable to continue, barely able to wave to acknowledge the crowd's warm ovation. 'I hope he has a speedy recovery,' said Sinner, 23. 'It's very unlucky from his side. I don't take this as a win at all. This is just a very unfortunate moment to witness for all of us. 'I think already in the last Grand Slams he has struggled a lot with injuries and seeing him now again having this kind of injury is very, very tough. We all saw this with his reaction, how much he cares about the sport.' Jannik Sinner helps Grigor Dimitrov off court after his injury. Picture: AP Photo/Kin Cheung Dimitrov's injury woes began 12 months ago at Wimbledon, where he slipped and damaged his knee in the first set of his fourth-round clash against Daniil Medvedev. He was forced to retire from matches at the US Open, Australian Open and the recent French Open. Sinner, into the quarter-finals at Wimbledon for the fourth consecutive year, will next face world number 10 Ben Shelton, who earlier beat Lorenzo Sonego in four sets. He is on a potential semi-final collision course with seven-time champion Novak Djokovic, but there will be question marks over the Italian's own fitness after his struggles against Dimitrov. Sinner has never reached the Wimbledon final, going as far as the semi-finals in 2023. He has played in the past three Grand Slam finals, taking the title at the US Open and the Australian Open and losing the French Open showpiece in a five-set epic against Carlos Alcaraz in June. Read related topics: Wimbledon
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
After being 4-1 up in fourth set, Alex de Minaur wilts against Novak Djokovic to exit Wimbledon
Alex de Minaur lamented his inability to 'lift in the big moments' as he once again stumbled in the face of a top-10 combatant at Wimbledon, losing to Novak Djokovic and conceding he can't take the 'next step' until he finds his best when it matters most. The Australian No.1 took the first set in a canter against the eight-time champion, was steamrolled in the next two, but then had a break point to go 5-1 up and be one service game away from taking his 38-year-old opponent into a fifth set. While Djokovic 'lifted his level big time' with Roger Federer looking on from the centre court stands, de Minaur instead went the other way, losing five of the next eight games to fall in four sets and walk away knowing exactly where he let himself down with another grand slam moment not taken. 'He started going after it a little bit more and raised his level, which completely changed the momentum,' de Minaur said of Djokovic, who won 1-6 6-4 6-4 6-4. 'I'm frustrated I let that set slip away, but he's been pretty good in big moments for a very long time. 'In the bigger moments today I think my level dipped, and I didn't rise to the occasion as I needed to if I wanted to beat someone as good as him. 'There's positives (from the match) but where I am in my career I want more. I want to be on the other side of this match coming out on top because that's the next step in my career. 'If I'm going to make the next step, these are the types of matches that need to start going my way.' Even Djokovic conceded he had to 'hang tough' and wasn't happy with his display in front of Federer. Aged 38, he remains a chance to become the oldest grand slam singles champion in the Open era. 'It wasn't a great start for me, it was a great start for Alex de Minaur obviously. I kind of reset myself in the second set,' Djokovic said. 'I was very pleased to hang in tough in the right moments and win this one. 'It's probably the first time (Roger is) watching me and I've won the match. The last couple I lost, so good to break the curse.' Getting into a fifth set could have opened doors for de Minaur and it was hard to take any positives knowing he could have taken down one of the greatest of all time. 'The right thing to do, to tell myself, 'Hey, I was close, I probably should have been into a fifth set, and who knows what happens in that fifth set against Novak at Wimbledon and one of his best grand slams'. I should be telling myself that,' he said. 'But right now … I won't see that side of things. It's still too early. It's a little bit more about, 'Yes, I lost to Novak, but I lost in the fourth round when I was hoping for more this week'.' It was also obvious to the Australian No.1 what he needs to improve on ahead of the US Open. 'I'm always going to put a lot of the pressure on my opponent, and I did that today,' he said. 'What I need to improve on is the serve. When (Djokovic) needed it, he really raised his serving. It felt like he was breezing through games. 'The serve needs to get me out of trouble, needs to help me in big moments, needs to step up if I want to win these matches.'
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Novak Djokovic's X-rated outburst leaves Wimbledon crowd in stunned silence
Novak Djokovic launched a foul-mouthed blast as he struggled with conditions on Centre Court against Alex de Minaur late on Monday night (AEST). The Serb was not at the races as Katie Boulter's fiance easily took the first set 6-1 – the first time Djokovic has ever lost an opening Wimbledon set by that margin. Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. Djokovic then took an attritional second set 6-4 to level the match, while still appearing to struggle with the wind. And frustrations boiled over in the third when the seven-time champion placed an easy-looking return well out of play. He then launched an X-rated rant at the top of his voice in his native Serbian. The Serb was accused by fans of saying: 'F*** you, f*** you, what a f***ing spin', according to The Sun. You can watch the incident in the player above There were audible gasps from the crowd before hushed silence set in with fans on Centre Court – despite probably not being able to understand what he said – being surprised at the sheer volume of his outburst. One Djokovic fan took to X to say: 'Hahahahahaha I am not feeling well..' While a detractor posted: 'This is why Djokovic isn't nearly as respected as his peers …' If the umpire had understood what Djokovic had said, he would have picked up a code violation and been warned for the misdemeanour. In the event of a second code violation, players are forced to forfeit a point, followed by a game for a third and finally, the match for a fourth. In a tongue-in-cheek interview in 2023, Djokovic told Eurosport that he was trying to work out new ways of swearing in his own language to avoid falling foul of umpires. He said: 'The problem we have, because of the success of Croatian and Serbian players in the last 30 years or so, we unfortunately have a situation where most of the umpires understand the swearing words. 'So we have to play around a little bit, we have to use the slang, create new words, but when you're p***ed off you don't think about creating.' Despite his early troubles, Djokovic saw off his Australian rival 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
