LONDON Just prior to Wimbledon’s start, Novak Djokovic said the competition offered him the best chance to win a record 25th Grand Slam singles title. Given that he has already won seven titles there and advanced to the previous six finals, it made logical.
It certainly didn’t seem like that would happen this year, except for one unusually shaky set in the fourth round on Monday. However, by defeating 11th-seeded Alex de Minaurat Centre Court 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, Djokovic turned things around and avoided what would have been his earliest exit at the All England Club since 2016.
A week after matches were played in record-breaking heat, Djokovic, 38, had a rough start on a breezy afternoon with temperatures in the 60s Fahrenheit (teens Celsius), with eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federers sitting in the front row of the Royal Box.
Immediately following the victory, Djokovic commented, “There were a lot of challenging moments for me.” He subsequently described it as a huge relief not to be forced into a fifth set.
Before winning the remaining five games and 14 of the final 15 points, he fell behind 4-1 in the fourth quarter.
raised his level significantly, according to de Minaur.
Djokovic will take on No. 22 Flavio Cobolli of Italy in an attempt to win his eighth Wimbledon championship and his 25th Grand Slam singles victory overall. Cobolli defeated 2014 U.S. Open champion and two-time major runner-up Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3) to get to his first major quarterfinal.
At the majors this year, No. 10 Ben Shelton defeated Lorenzo Sonego 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (1), 7-5, improving his record to 3-0 against him. Shelton will face either No. 1 Jannik Sinner or No. 19 Grigor Dimitrov in his first Wimbledon quarterfinal.
Djokovic double-faulted four times in the first set alone against de Minaur, making mistake after mistake. Djokovic faced 26-year-old Australian de Minaur, who had 19 break points overall, and dropped five of his first seven service games.
During the first set alone, Djokovic committed 16 unforced errors.
Overall, Djokovic was confused and later attributed it to nerves and a whirling wind. Between points, he hurried. When shots were missed, he would roll his eyes, yell and glare at his guest box, or spread his arms wide as though he was asking for an explanation.
He grumbled after his first-round triumph last week about the ice-filled towel he put on his stomach during changeovers, which is often draped around players’ necks in sweltering situations. However, Djokovic later downplayed the importance of that.
At Wimbledon, a defeat would have been Djokovic’s earliest since he was defeated by Sam Querrey in the third round nine years prior.
Djokovic has nearly increased his total since taking home his men’s-record 24th major trophy at the 2023 U.S. Open. He lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final last year for the second time in a row, with the same outcome, and left each of the first two Slams of 2025 in the semifinals.
Now, no man as old as Djokovic has ever taken home a major title. He continues to demonstrate why the idea that he could is not absurd.
To be honest, I didn’t have many answers, Djokovic admitted, but I simply reset myself in the second.
De Minaur seemed to have accepted defeat at the end, realizing that he is merely the most recent—and possibly not the last—opposit to fall to a charging Djokovic.
In summary, de Minaur has demonstrated a strong ability to perform well under pressure for a considerable amount of time.
What else took place on Monday at Wimbledon?
The seventhThe 18-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva defeated No. 10 Emma Navarro to become the youngest player to advance to the Wimbledon women’s quarterfinals since Nicole Vaidisova in 2007.6-2, 6-3. Belinda Bencic, who defeated No. 18 Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6 (4), 6-4, will face Andreeva next. Five-time major champion Iga Swiatek, ranked No. 8, defeated No. 23 Clara Tauson 6-4, 6-1, and will now face No. 19 Liudmila Samsonova, who defeated Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 7-5, 7-5 to reach her maiden major quarterfinal.
On Tuesday, who performs at the All England Club?
No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will face Laura Siegemund in the women’s quarterfinals, while No. 13 Amanda Anisimova will face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Carlos Alcaraz, ranked second, will face Cam Norrie in the men’s quarterfinals, while Taylor Fritz, ranked fifth, will face Karen Khachanov, ranked seventeenth.
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