de Minaur humbled by Djokovic
Novak Djokovic showed he is on track to claim his tenth Australian Open title as he comprehensively defeated Australia’s Alex de Minaur.
The world no. 5 proved that even with concern over his fitness he can lift when it matters. Djokovic provided a masterclass and made de Minaur look second rate.
“What I experienced today was probably Novak very close to his best, I would say,” De Minaur conceded.
“He was what felt like on another level to mine,” De Minaur said. “I was just trying to hang on there. At the start was very solid, then he loosened up even more and started swinging. It felt like he could hit winners from every place in the court. (I) didn’t really know what to do out there.”
In terms of games won by de Minaur it goes down as his worst defeat in Grand Slam tennis. de Minaur’s worst loss previously was at the hands of Pablo Carreno Busta when the Spaniard defeated the Australian 6-3, 6-1, 6-1 in the second round at the 2019 French Open.
“He was what felt like on another level to mine,” De Minaur said. “I was just trying to hang on there. At the start was very solid, then he loosened up even more and started swinging. It felt like he could hit winners from every place in the court. (I) didn’t really know what to do out there.”
“A week ago I didn’t really think about the title, I just thought about being in a good enough condition to play the next match,” acknowledged Djokovic after easing past De Minaur 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 in two hours and six minutes. “Until tonight. Tonight, the way I played, the way I felt, gives me reason now to believe that I can go all the way.”
Djokovic is now on a 25 match win streak at Melbourne Park. That matches Andre Agassi’s 25 from 2000 until he lost to Marat Safin in the 2004 semifinals.
Looking ahead, Djokovic now faces Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals. If he can get past Rublev he faces either Tommy Paul or Ben Shelton in the semifinals.
There is the possibility of having a title showdown between Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas, the title winner would also claim the world no. 1 ranking.
It was only at the 2022 US Open where there was a similar situation. Carlos Alcaraz battled Casper Ruud, for the title and the no. 1 ranking.
There of course are several steps to complete before we might see that.