Novak Djokovic reaches into his bag of tricks to see off plucky Alex de Minaur, but needs to find a higher level for tougher battles at Wimbledon

Indian Express

11 hours ago

An hour into his fourth-round encounter against Alex de Minaur at Wimbledon on Monday, Novak Djokovic's tournament had suddenly gone off script.
A week of serenity had prevailed for the seven-time champion at the start of this year's Championships. He had basked in the validation of the Centre Court crowd that had long kept the 24-time Major winner at an arm's length. He had dominated three opponents so commandingly that talk of another title run – which would potentially bring his Wimbledon count to eight, equalling Roger Federer's all-time record – had begun buzzing.
Yet, there was the Serb: lying flat on his back in frustration at being unable to connect with a volley, remonstrating with the wind for conspiring against him and his carefully-crafted angles, shouting at his box after holding serve only once in the opening 13 games.
#Wimbledon win number 101 for @DjokerNole 🤯 pic.twitter.com/9hV5fKhaei
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2025
All in all, having to contend with a sprightly opponent 12 years his junior, who, while a relative lightweight in terms of level and technique, ended up being a pesky challenger whose footspeed and defence was rankling Djokovic's patience and causing more than a few problems.
As he stared at the prospect of a two-set deficit, familiar doubts began creeping in. Six Majors and 18 months since he has won a Grand Slam title, the former World No.1 has shown signs of physical struggle and a letdown in motivation. Another tough battle, as early as in the fourth round, with much bigger tests potentially lying ahead (as per the draw, Djokovic will have to beat both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner to lift the trophy at SW19), began looking like a tall order.
The serenity left him, but the competitive edge returned. Djokovic went into lockdown mode to bounce back, beating De Minaur 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 despite being a break down in the second and fourth sets, to reach the quarterfinal. Once he got a read on the Aussie's game, the legend methodically wore him down to reach the last eight at Wimbledon for the 16th time, an eighth consecutive appearance.
At the start of the tournament, arriving in London fully fit and in high spirits, Djokovic acknowledged that Wimbledon is likely to be his best chance to win another Major. His experience and strengths on the faster surface are a huge advantage over his competition.
What Monday's performance means for those prospects is unclear. Perhaps a tough test at this stage of the tournament will allow him to fine-tune his game to be razor- sharp at the business end. But lapses against the best players in the world simply may not be forgiven.
'It's probably the first time he's watched me and I won the match.'
Novak Djokovic is relieved to get a win in front of Roger Federer 😅#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Q6H1G1p91p
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2025
The three-week gap between the French Open and Wimbledon usually sees top players scrambling to get accustomed to grass. To contend with the instant transition from sliding on the high-bouncing slow clay to the slick, low-bouncing fast courts, they plan out a schedule to play at least one tune-up event on the surface they have become increasingly alien to. They map out where, and against whom, they are most likely to find the right momentum to peak in London. Even then, most of them struggle: 19 of the 32 seeded players in the men's draw at this year's Championships were out in the first week.
Not for Djokovic though, who arrived at SW19 for the sixth successive season with Wimbledon his only grass court event of the year. He reached the final in each of the five previous appearances, winning three and losing only to one player, Alcaraz, in the 2023 and 2024 title clashes.
The 38-year-old may be a tad fatigued of reminders of his age – perhaps even a bit patronised by the fawning inquiries about when he will ride off into the sunset – but this is the kind of experience that no amount of talent can buy. And with it comes 101 match wins and seven titles at the most hallowed site in tennis.
Djokovic gets it done 💪
After going a set down against Alex de Minaur, Djokovic recovers to win 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 against the Australian and move into his 16th #Wimbledon quarter-finals 😮
There's just no stopping him ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/mIRU2jjkXF
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2025
No other player in the men's draw is as naturally suited to grass as Djokovic and no other player has as wide an arsenal of weapons. Among them is his movement: the Serb can slide into his shots when needed but, more often than not, is able to take the small side-steps to better create angles for his groundstrokes. Djokovic's variety is also especially effective on this faster surface. He mixes things up with different angles, a class-leading backhand slice and drop shots. He has a formidable serve, worked on painstakingly over two decades to become as dependable as possible.
And De Minaur would feel the wrath of the combination of all those weapons. Djokovic switched things up in the second set, pulling the Aussie closer to the net and moving him more when he had erected a wall on the baseline. In the attritional rallies, his low, swirling slice wrecked De Minaur's momentum. In the tricky third set, when the match hung in the balance, Djokovic locked in on his serve and found the breakthrough. In the fourth set, while 1-4 down, he came up with two sensational return games to overpower his opponent and leave with the win.
The positives may outweigh the negatives: on a windy afternoon when temperatures were high, the Serb reset and prevailed over a challenger in good form. But he will need to find higher gears later in the week.