Wimbledon 2024: Alex de Minaur Demon’s hip to beating Novak Djokovic as he makes the quarter-final for the first time in his blossoming career
Alex de Minaur reckons his injury scare is no big deal. He believes he can take down Novak Djokovic in their Wimbledon quarter-final. ‘I see it as a 50/50 match,’ he says.
Alex de Minaur normally moves like one of William Wordsworth’s daffodils. Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. He beat French showman Arthur Fils at Wimbledon but rather than celebrating in poetic and sprightly fashion, he could barely get to the net to shake hands. The most reliable body in tennis had broken down.
Victories for de Minaur are 10 a penny. Once more he was clean and crisp for a 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 triumph over Fils. He should have gone cartwheeling towards the headiness of a marquee quarter-final against Novak Djokovic but the normally chipper 25-year-old cut a po-faced figure. He glared at Lleyton Hewitt as if to say, Hewy, we have a problem.
“Just slid out to a forehand on my first match point and felt like I jarred my hip a little bit,” he explained. “Was a little bit ginger. It’s probably a little bit of a scare more than anything. The situation was tight.
“In a way it helped me relax and finish off the match.
“I’m feeling pretty decent. The body went through a pretty physical match. Body feels a little bit ginger everywhere, I’m not going to lie. But I’ve done my recovery and I’m sure I’ll be feeling great tomorrow. I’ll be right. I’ll find a way.”
De Minaur versus Djokovic have history. De Minaur annoyed the Serb by suggesting he deserved to be deported from Australia in 2022 because of his anti-vaccination stance. ‘Look, Australians have gone through a lot,” de Minaur said at the time. “There’s no secret about that. They’ve had it very tough. They’ve done a lot of work to protect themselves and their borders. When you’re coming in, as well as every other tennis player, if you wanted to come to the country, you had to be double vaccinated. It was up to him. His choices, his judgment. Here we are.”
Djokovic thrashed de Minaur 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 in a grudge match on Rod Laver Arena. “Because I wanted to,” he snarled afterwards. “I don’t have any relationship with him. I respect him as a rival, a colleague, as I respect everyone. I have no problem contacting him, congratulating him. But I don’t have any other relationship. I don’t have any communication with him. He showed in 2022 what he thinks about me.”
De Minaur beat a rusty Djokovic on hardcourt at this year’s ATP Cup in Perth. Djokovic snuck past de Minaur in a couple of tight sets on clay at Monte Carlo.
This is the opportunity of a lifetime for de Minaur. Beating a legend on the sport’s court of dreams is the sort of triumph that can send a player’s career into the stratosphere. Think 19-year-old Roger Federer beating Pete Sampras in the fourth round in 2001; think Nick Kyrgios beating Rafael Nadal in the fourth round in 2014. De Minaur is kind of a big deal in Australia and world tennis at the moment. Here’s his chance to become supermassive.
“I don’t think you need to talk too much about Novak here at Wimbledon,” de Minaur says. “He’s obviously achieved greatness many, many years. He’s going to be a tough battle but the type of battle that I want. Those are the challenges that I want to take advantage of and go out there and show what I can do.
“Over the years my belief has grown more and more. Obviously results have a lot to do with that, where you are in the rankings.”
De Minaur adds: “I played Novak once in a slam. It’s fair to say it was quite a challenge. I’m looking forward to this matchup next time around. I think I’m a different player. I’m just taking it day by day. Very slowly. I’m excited for the next battle.
“I see it as a 50/50 match while in the past, maybe I didn’t have that same mindset.”
De Minaur is a darling of the British fans because he’s the boyfriend of English player Katie Boulter. They swoon as if they’re thinking oh, isn’t he lovely, we approve. Asked by a London reporter if he would fly the local flag at The Championships, he replied: “Oh, 100 per cent. I’ll take all the support I can get. I can be the honorary Brit here at Wimbledon. I do feel very loved out there, I must say.
“I love coming here to Wimbledon. I always feel like I play some of my best tennis. Over the years I feel like the support I’ve had has grown significantly. It’s a great feeling as a player to know you’ve got a lot of people in the stadium backing you in, having your back when essentially you’re so far away from home.”
Djokovic was majestic in his 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 triumph over Denmark’s Holger Rune but constantly clutched at an abdominal strain. His right knee remains heavily strapped. The 37-year-old has a become a one-man Antiques Roadshow. He told Rune’s loudest and most antagonistic supporters, “You guys can’t touch me.”
On de Minaur, Djokovic said: “He’s probably the quickest mover we have on the tour. He’s improved so much in the last year and a half. I played him in the fourth round of the Australian Open last year (straight-sets victory). I played a terrific match, really, but from that match until today, watching his progress, seeing him get into the top 10, is not a surprise.
“He’s always had that incredible speed and defence and really crafty hands on all the surfaces, particularly the quicker ones. Lleyton Hewitt is in his corner, a mentor and a coach and someone that has been with him for many years, and they mesh well together because of the styles of play. “
Djokovic has warmed to Demon. The grudge has eased, for now.
“I’ve seen him only going in the right direction,” he said. “His serve became a weapon. That maybe wasn’t the case before. He takes the ball so early. He’s not afraid to come to the net.
“He’s a great all-round player. He’s now established in the top 10, 15 in the world. He has plenty of experience in playing on a big stage in the latter stages of grand slams.
“I’m sure he’s going to come out on the court giving his all and believing he can win. He already beat me this year in Australia, so there’s no reason why he wouldn’t think he can win that match.
“But obviously a grand slam is a whole different game. I like my chances. I like the way I’m playing.”
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