Djokovic into a 16th quarter-final at Wimbledon after brutal fourth set comeback

For a heady half-hour Alex de Minaur was in dreamland, for three hours he was in contention, but ultimately, he was unable to achieve what would have been one of the biggest wins of his career and knock over Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.

De Minaur won the first set 6-1, stunning Djokovic, the centre court crowd, and millions watching on television.

But Djokovic was not going to let his own dream of winning a record 25th grand slam, eclipsing Margaret Court, slide away. He refocused and came back to defeat de Minaur 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in three hours, 19 minutes to reach his 16th Wimbledon quarter-final.

“I didn’t have many solutions in the first set,” he said. “There were a lot of challenging moments for me.

“It was a tough game to close out the second set, I felt that was a momentum shift.”

Key juncture: Novak Djokovic revs up the crowd.Credit: Channel Nine / Wide World Of Sports

It was, but as late as midway through the fourth set de Minaur had a break and looked set to force a fifth only for Djokovic to up a gear and ruthlessly finish off the 11th-seed.

De Minaur had been waiting a year for this match, having been forced to withdraw from a quarter-final date with Djokovic last year due to the hip injury that dogged him through the back half of last year.

The 26-year-old had beaten Djokovic at Perth in the United Cup in the interim, but to do so at Wimbledon, where the Serb has won seven times, would be something else entirely.

But while he is a champion, he is an ageing one: the 38-year-old was bidding to become the third oldest Wimbledon quarter-finalist after Ken Rosewall in 1974 and Roger Federer in 2021.

The latter was watching from the Royal Box, along with England Ashes veterans Joe Root and James Anderson, and must have been astonished by what he was watching as de Minaur swept the first set.

Djokovic double-faulted on the very first point of the match and while he followed that with an ace down the centre the tone had been set.

Troubled by a gusting wind the Serb continued to struggle with his serve dishing up four double faults in the set, getting fewer than half his first serves in and winning the point on only 18 per cent of his second serves.

He also made 16 unforced errors prompting former Wimbledon champion John McEnroe to state on BBC commentary, “I can’t remember when I have seen him play a worse set than this, it’s literally been years. It’s incredible to see him play like this.”

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Wow. Brilliance from the Serbian.

That was brutal. Channel Nine tells me the Serbian won 14 of the last 15 points. He simply owned the court when it counted.

Novak Djokovic d. Alex de Minaur 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 after three hours and 19 minutes

Novak Djokovic douses himself in water to cool down.Credit: AP

Just as de Minaur looked cool, calm and composed (and bound to win the set well) Djokovic has shown his champion status, stepping up BIG TIME to push to a position of advantage. In fact, the match could be his sooner than you think. What a turnaround. You can see de Minaur feeling the heat. It’s written all over his face.

Djokovic will serve for the match.

Novak Djokovic leads Alex de Minaur 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 5-4 after three hours and 17 minutes

Another incredible point, but it crucially goes Novak Djokovic’s way. He hurt Demon with a cross court forehand first, then nailed an inside-out forehand winner to snatch the break back in the fourth set. The standard in this match is befitting of a much bigger occasion, but Djokovic is proving his greatness.

Oh, yes, that’s the Djokovic we know. Now the 38-year-old is bringing out the fight. He brings the fourth set back on serve. Too good.

Novak Djokovic leads Alex de Minaur 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 3-4

Belinda Bencic advanced to her first Wimbledon quarterfinal — 11 years after her All England Club debut — by beating 18th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6 (4), 6-4 on Monday.

Bencic, who had lost in the fourth round on three previous occasions, failed to convert five match points while serving at 5-3 in the second set. But on the sixth one, Alexandrova sent a forehand long on the No. 1 court.

“For you guys it was entertaining,” Bencic said about that marathon game at 5-3, where Alexandrova finally converted her fourth break point to stay in the match. “For me, it was a big stress.”

The 28-year-old Bencic’s best result at a grand slam was reaching the semifinals at the 2019 US Open, where she also reached the quarters on two other occasions.

The Tokyo Olympic champion, playing at Wimbledon for the ninth time, had not been into the last eight at any of the other three majors, until now.

“I always got stuck in the fourth round (at Wimbledon),” Bencic said in an on-court interview. “So it was so important for me today to be able to kind of break through to the quarter-final.”

Bencic missed last year’s grass-court grand slam tournament while she was on maternity leave, having given birth to her first child — a daughter named Bella — in April 2024.

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The Serbian keeps de Minaur’s advantage to just one break of serve in the fourth set. De Minaur was threatening, the prospect of a double break an enticing one. The crowd are on the edge of their seats on centre court.

Novak Djokovic leads Alex de Minaur 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 2-4 after three hours and one minute

The Australian, a five-times major quarter-finalist, has found another gear in the fourth set. Djokovic can’t just swot hit away. De Minaur has surged to a 4-1 lead and a deciding fifth set is absolutely on the cards.

Novak Djokovic leads Alex de Minaur 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 1-4

I am running out of ways to say how much I admire Alex de Minaur. Doubters be damned. This match ain’t over yet.