Melbourne, Jan. 23 (BNA): It took about a week for Novak Djokovic to go from worrying about whether he could ever play a match on his injured left hamstring to thinking he could win the Australian Open.
And one pain-free, near-perfect performance in the fourth round on Monday made all the difference, reports the Associated Press.
said Djokovic after beating 22nd seed Alex de Minaur 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 to reach his thirteenth quarter-final at Melbourne Park and the fifty-fourth time in all of a Grand Slam tournament.
“I mean, I always think I can go further, in terms of playing tennis,” continued Djokovic, who has competed in 21 Grand Slams, nine of which are in Australia. “But the way my legs felt before tonight didn’t give me much hope, so to speak, for the whole tournament, to go all the way. I feel that tonight, so I feel positive about that.”
A year ago, he was kicked out of the country before the Australian Open because he had not been vaccinated against COVID-19. He still didn’t get the shots, but the government’s coronavirus rules have been relaxed.
After occasionally looking for the joint in his first three matches in the tournament last week, sometimes stumbling to the ground, sometimes seeking treatment from a coach, the 35-year-old from Serbia looked like his usual flexible and commanding self on the court. At Rod Laver Arena vs. De Minor.
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