Djokovic Finds The Wind In His Sails To Defeat De Minaur At Wimbledon
After beating Jannik Sinner in the 2023 Wimbledon semifinals, Novak Djokovic joked that 36 was the new 26 and that he was feeling just great about competing against the next generation. On the second Monday of Wimbledon 2025, the Serb didn't find the feel or look as sprightly on Centre Court. Djokovic still got the job done by beating Alex de Minaur 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in three hours and 18 minutes to go through to the quarterfinals.
The number two seed lacked his usual swagger from he start against the Australian on a much cooler second Monday at SW19. The 24-time major champion was unusually jerky in his movements. There was something slow-motion about the match overall with what Djokovic called a 'cat and mouse' trade of sliced exchanges.
It suited de Minaur down to the ground in the first set as he absorbed his opponent's groundstrokes and broke the Serb three times. Djokovic's viewfinder on serve was unfocused as he committed four double faults to go with 16 unforced errors. In the press conference, the third favorite for the title attributed his travails to the swirling, windy conditions.
De Minaur is a player who always competes, is one of the best athletes around, and consistently reaches the last eight of the majors. The question mark is how he can be more than just a minor nuisance to the big shots of the game.
While Djokovic began to find some rhythm on his service games, the Aussie hardly won any free points on his serve. His blue-collar shift work on every point of every game compensates for this to some extent, but backing up breaks of serve against the big beasts is always a challenge. De Minaur is 0-14 against Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz combined and was hammered by Djokovic in the 2023 Australian Open and by Sinner in the 2025 edition at Melbourne.
The 38-year-old is looking for his eighth Wimbledon title and admitted that he was nervous before the match. He had never played de Minaur on grass and despite levelling the match, Djokovic's frustration grew in the third set as the 26-year-old from Sydney held firm until there was real scoreboard jeopardy.
Djokovic rejected the idea that he was physically struggling, but at times he applied ice to his stomach. His stretchy nan presence on the court was subdued and there was just no snap to the movement. 'Djokovic looks like his age now for a change,' said 1987 champion Pat Cash on BBC radio. 'He has been running around huffing and puffing and not been able to force the play. We usually see Novak pounding some big shots on his opponents, but he has been running everywhere.'
There was always that sense of inevitability that de Minaur would struggle to fully push through. He lost serve at 4-4 twice in a row in the second and third sets. That can only be the Djokovic effect although it wasn't as if last year's runner-up was playing out of this world.
De Minaur even went 4-1 up in the fourth and had a break point to make it 5-1 . He never won another game. Suddenly, there was no motor on any of his shots, no sense of security or belief to bedevil the best on Centre Court. Truth be told, the last five games were a procession as the Serb 'locked in' to his target with that impenetrable steel-plated resolve
The timeline to Djokovic's competitiveness is infinity and beyond. He has no need to waste precious time fighting for Masters events when the true mission is all about the showpiece events, including an ambitious shot at defending his Olympic gold in Los Angeles. The oldest man in the men's singles can still reach the business end of the majors, as proven by the Australian Open endeavors where he fought injury to beat Alcaraz before pulling up lame against Alexander Zverev.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic touches his stomach during a break as he plays against Australia's Alex De ... More Minaur during their men's singles fourth round tennis match on the eighth day of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 7, 2025. (Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Djokovic's competitive instincts are so strong that muscle memory and major-winning mentality rise above temporary physical issues. When asked on court if there was anything brewing, the shutdown to the BBC's Rishi Persad was polite and to the point.
Novak Djokovic had a kind word for one man in the crowd when he wished he could 'serve and volley' like Roger Federer, who was watching on from the Royal Box. It's the running between points that is the killer for those legs now. The drop shots come a little earlier. The marathon rallies are not so much fun.
As for 36 being the new 26, that last number would do very nicely in the major column. It's still on.
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