"I like the way I'm playing" - Novak Djokovic sends warning to rest of the pack at Wimbledon as he finally puts injury doubts to bed
Novak Djokovic was a doubt for Wimbledon following his knee surgery just weeks before the tournament. However, the Serb recovered in time and has now reached the quarterfinals. He has shared that he feels good about his game and is looking forward to playing his next match.
Djokovic pulled out of the French Open quarterfinal because he suffered a meniscus injury in his right knee. The Serb underwent surgery for the injury and it was reported that he may have to miss the grasscourt Grand Slam to recover completely, but he was able to recover in time to play at SW19 for the 19th time.
He won his first-round match against Vit Kopriva in straight sets before getting the better of Jacob Fearnley in the second round. Djokovic defeated Australian Alexei Popyrin in the third round and faced Holger Rune, his first seeded opponent at Wimbledon, in the fourth round on July 8.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion was clinical against the Dane during a match where he was seemingly up against the crowd at Centre Court as well. The Serb had multiple interactions with the crowd during his 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win.
During his post-match press conference, he mentioned that he was feeling very well about how he was playing.
"I feel good, it was a great match from my side... I feel good about my tennis. There are always things to improve and work on, but things are going in the right direction...," he said.
"I like the way I'm playing, especially today against a tough opponent. I'm looking forward to the next match," he added.
Novak Djokovic will face Alex de Minaur in the Wimbledon 2024 QF
Alex de Minaur got the better of Arthut Fils in the fourth round at Wimbledon to reach the quarterfinals. The Aussie will face Novak Djokovic in his maiden quarterfinal appearance at SW19.
Djokovic talked about his next opponent during his press conference after his fourth-round match.
“He is probably the fastest player we have on tour. He has improved a lot in the last year and a half – I played him in the 4th round of the Australian Open 2023, I played a fantastic match, but from that match until now, seeing his progress and how he has entered the top-10 does not surprise me," the Serb said.
De Minaur and Djokovic have faced each other thrice before and the Serb leads the head-to-head record 2-1. They last faced off during the Monte-Carlo Masters in March where the 37-year-old won 7-5, 6-4.