Novak Djokovic staged a thrilling comeback against 11th-seeded Alex de Minaur at Wimbledon, turning around a 1-6 first set to win 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Centre Court. The victory secures Djokovic his spot in the quarterfinals and keeps alive his bid for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam singles trophy.
The Serbian veteran, a seven-time Wimbledon champion who has reached the last six finals, faced an unsteady start under the Royal Box gaze of eight-time winner Roger Federer. Despite a breezy afternoon in the 60s Fahrenheit, Djokovic found his rhythm after the opening set and refused to let de Minaur derail his campaign.
"A lot of challenging moments for me," Djokovic admitted after the match, calling it a "big, big relief" to avoid a fifth set. Down 4-1 in the fourth, he tore off the last five games and dominated the final points, winning 14 of the last 15.
De Minaur praised his opponent, noting, "He lifted his level big-time."
Next up is Italy's No. 22 Flavio Cobolli, who reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal by defeating Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(4), 7-6(3). If Djokovic prevails, he will set a new benchmark as the oldest man to win a major championship.
Reflecting on his turnaround, Djokovic said, "I didn't have many solutions, to be honest, but I just reset myself in the second."
As de Minaur summed up: "He's been pretty good in big moments for a very long time."
Reference(s):
Djokovic rallies to beat de Minaur and reach Wimbledon quarterfinals
cgtn.com
