Novak
LONDON — Right before Wimbledon began, Novak Djokovic declared it was the tournament that gave him the best chance to claim an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam singles trophy. Made sense, really, given that he’s won seven titles there already and reached the past six finals.
For one uncharacteristically unsteady set in the fourth round Monday, it sure didn’t look as if that would happen this year. Djokovic, though, turned things around and avoided what would have been his earliest exit at the All England Club since 2016, coming through for a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory over 11th-seeded Alex de Minaur at Centre Court.
With eight-time Wimbledon winner Roger Federer sitting in the front row of the Royal Box, very little went right at the outset for the 38-year-old Djokovic on the grass below during a breezy afternoon with the temperature in the 60s Fahrenheit (teens Celsius), a week after matches were contested in record-breaking heat.
“A lot of challenging moments for me,” Djokovic said.
That included trailing 4-1 in the fourth the set — except all he did there was win the last five games and 14 of the final 15 points.
“Lifted his level,” de Minaur said, “big-time.”
Djokovic’s bid for an eighth Wimbledon title and 25th Grand Slam singles trophy overall will continue against No. 22 Flavio Cobolli of Italy. Cobolli reached his first major quarterfinal with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3) victory over 2014 U.S. Open champion and two-time major runner-up Marin Cilic.
Djokovic will be appearing in his 63rd Slam quarterfinal.
Against de Minaur, he made mistake after mistake, double-faulting four times in the first set alone. Djokovic lost five of his first seven service games against de Minaur, a 26-year-old Australian who accumulated 19 break points in all.
Djokovic made 16 unforced errors in the first set alone.
“I can’t remember when I’ve seen him play a worse set than this,” John McEnroe, who won Wimbledon three times in the 1980s, said on the BBC telecast. “I mean, it’s literally been years.”
All in all, Djokovic was discombobulated, chalking it up afterward to nerves and a swirling wind. He rushed between points. He reacted to flubbed shots by rolling his eyes or shouting and glaring in the direction of his guest box or putting his arms wide as if seeking explanations from someone, anyone.
At changeovers, he placed an ice-filled towel — usually wrapped around necks by players in steamy conditions — on his stomach, which he complained about during his first-round victory last week. But afterward, Djokovic dismissed the significance of that.
A loss would have been Djokovic’s soonest at Wimbledon since he was eliminated in the third round by Sam Querrey nine years ago.
Since winning his men’s-record 24th major title at the 2023 U.S. Open, Djokovic has come close to raising his total. He was the runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon last year — the second consecutive time they met in the final, with the results the same — and departed each of the first two Slams of 2025 in the semifinals.
No man as old as Djokovic is now has won a major championship. He keeps showing why it’s not preposterous to think he could, such as a diving volley winner earlier in the tournament or the way Djokovic broke to lead 2-1 in the second set on a 35-stroke exchange Monday. He put his right index finger to his ear and waved his arms to ask for noise from the spectators.
“I didn’t have many solutions, to be honest,” Djokovic said, “but I just reset myself in the second.”
The comeback officially was on, and soon enough, he was closing the third set with a winner to cap a 27-shot point.
By the very end, it’s almost as though de Minaur was resigned to defeat, knowing he’s only the latest — and perhaps not the last — opponent to succumb to a surging Djokovic.
“I mean,” de Minaur summed up, “he’s been pretty good in big moments for a very long time.”
What else happened at Wimbledon on Monday?
Belinda Bencic, playing at Wimbledon for the first time since becoming a mom, reached her first quarterfinal there by beating No. 18 Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6 (4), 6-4. The 19th seed, Liudmila Samsonova, advanced to her first major quarterfinal with a 7-5, 7-5 victory against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
Who plays at the All England Club on Tuesday?
The women’s quarterfinals are No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka vs. Laura Siegemund, and No. 13 Amanda Anisimova vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The men’s quarterfinals are No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz vs. Cam Norrie, and No. 5 Taylor Fritz vs. No. 17 Karen Khachanov.