MELBOURNE.— Achieving another record in Australia put Novak Djokovic to reflect, revealing how he thinks things will change once he wins his historic 24th Grand Slam title.
Djokovic played his best two sets “in some time” to crush Adrian Mannarino 6-0, 6-0,6-3 on Sunday and reach the quarterfinals at a major for the 58th time, equaling Roger Federer’s record.
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It is the 14th time that he has reached the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park, where he has an incredible record. Of his previous 13, 10 have ended with titles in Australia.
“I thought that maybe this year I would feel more relaxed, to put it another way, or maybe with less tension, less stress in practice sessions, duels,” he admitted. “But it is not like that, it is not always like that, a great intensity.”
Djokovic, 36, is meticulous in his planning and preparation and has had unprecedented success at Grand Slams.
Even with two more major titles than any other tennis player, he recognizes that he cannot relax and enjoy.
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“You can see it even today. It was 6-0, 2-0. “It was a long game and I was arguing, arguing strongly with my team,” he assured. “The fire continues to burn. I don’t play because I need the money or the points, or whatever, I just want to play. “I really enjoy the competition.”
In the quarterfinals he will face Taylor Fritz (12), who reached this stage for the first time by beating 2023 finalist Stefans Tsitsipas 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.
2024-01-21 20:18:42
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