Djokovic Survives Early Scare, Advances at Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic recovered from a shaky start to avoid his earliest Wimbledon exit since 2016, securing a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Alex de Minaur in the fourth round. The match took place on Monday.

In the presence of Roger Federer, a multiple-time Wimbledon champion, Djokovic struggled initially. The conditions were breezy, and the temperature was in the teens.

Djokovic managed to turn the match around, winning the middle two sets and then taking control after trailing 4-1 in the fourth. He won the final five games and 14 of the last 15 points. His quest for an eighth Wimbledon title and a 25th Grand Slam singles trophy continues against Flavio Cobolli of Italy.

Djokovic will be competing in his 63rd Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Djokovic faced numerous challenges against de Minaur, making several errors and double-faulting multiple times in the first set. He faced a significant number of break points throughout the match.

Djokovic was broken in five of his first seven service games against de Minaur. De Minaur, the Australian player, had been scheduled to face Djokovic in the previous year's Wimbledon quarterfinals but withdrew due to injury.

In the opening set, de Minaur had nearly twice as many points as Djokovic, with Djokovic making a large number of unforced errors.

Djokovic appeared disoriented, attributing his performance to nerves. He rushed between points and reacted visibly to his mistakes. During changeovers, he used an ice-filled towel on his stomach.

This match could have marked Djokovic's earliest Wimbledon defeat since his third-round loss to Sam Querrey nine years prior. That earlier loss ended Djokovic's impressive Grand Slam winning streak.

Djokovic won his record-breaking 24th major title at the 2023 U.S. Open. He has come close to adding to his total, finishing as runner-up at Wimbledon last year and reaching the semifinals of the first two Slams of 2025.

No player of Djokovic's age has ever won a major championship.

Djokovic continues to demonstrate his potential, as seen in his diving volley earlier in the tournament and his performance in a long exchange during the second set. He rallied the crowd, and soon after, he closed the third set with a winning shot.

By the end of the match, de Minaur seemed to accept defeat, acknowledging that he was just the latest opponent to be overcome by Djokovic's resurgence.