Novak Djokovic has managed to break the hegemony of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, establishing himself as one of the greatest of all time. The former number 1 in the world is still in top form at 35 and wants to break more records. The Serbian phenom is trying to win his 10th Australian Open title, which would see him join Nadal in 22 Slams. The 35-year-old from Belgrade closed the gap by triumphing at Wimbledon last year, after the Spaniard won the Australian Open and Roland Garros. With Rafa sidelined in Melbourne, Nole has a golden opportunity to even things out. The Serbian is not one hundred percent due to a left hamstring problem, which did not prevent him from reaching the quarterfinals. Goran Ivanisevic’s protégé defeated Grigor Dimitrov in three close sets and Alex De Minaur for a place in the quarterfinals. In a video posted on Instagram, Patrick Mouratoglou explained what allowed Djokovic to come out on top. “When Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal dominated the men’s circuit, almost all the players in the Top 10 thought that it was not possible to win a Slam with the two of them,” recalls Mouratoglou.
De Minaur opens up on Djokovic
Being the victim of a tennis hurricane should never be a tasteful dish, especially when you are in front of your audience and there were reasons to dream of a miracle. Álex de Miñaur has experienced the bitter feeling of being swept off the track by Novak Djokovic in these round of 16 of the Australian Open 2023. “Honestly, I don’t think I’ve played against anyone who had that level of tennis. What I’ve experienced I have a feeling must be Novak’s highest level, or at least I hope so. If he continues this game, I’m clear that will take the title”, commented the Australian before delving into his feeling of impotence. “He put constant pressure on me, I couldn’t get into the game for a single moment and I couldn’t even get a free point on my serve. It’s amazing how he’s moved around the court and how deep he can play on all his shots. He made it impossible for me to execute my game plan, which was to be aggressive and take time away from him. It was like he could make me winners from anywhere on the court, there were times when I didn’t know what I was doing on the court,” reflects Alex. In Australia there was great expectation to see this game since doubts about the physical condition of the Serb only increased in his duel against Dimitrov. However, Novak did not show any signs of discomfort. Questioned about this, De Miñaur was laconic. “I don’t know, tell me if you thought he was injured. I certainly, being on the other side of the track, gave me the feeling that he moved perfectly. We’ve been talking about his left leg for two weeks, but either I’m not good enough tennis player, or is he perfect after having seen what happened today”, he sentenced.
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