It’s no Djoke: Demon proving critics wrong
Alex de Minaur will enter the Australian Open as one of its hottest favourites after he continued his scintillating form to upset world No.1 Novak Djokovic in straight sets in Perth as Australia stunned Serbia to qualify for the United Cup semi-finals.
Djokovic will head to Melbourne Park under an injury cloud as he battles a right wrist issue that again prompted him to complain as he was beaten 6-4 6-4 at RAC Arena on Wednesday night.
The relentless de Minaur snapped Djokovic’s record 43match winning streak on Australian soil and avenged his heavy fourth-round defeat at last year’s Australian Open in blistering fashion.
The victory gave Australia the early advantage in its United Cup quarter-final tie against Serbia, with Ajla Tomljanovic bouncing back from a couple of defeats to thrash Natalija Stevanovic 6-1 6-1. De Minaur said it felt “surreal” to have notch his first victory over Djokovic in front of a home crowd.
“Novak is an unbelievable competitor and what he’s done for the sport is pretty special … it feels amazing,” de Minaur said.
“It couldn’t get any worse I guess,” he said when asked about the 6-2 6-1 6-2 loss at Melbourne Park last year.
“When you go against Novak you’ve just got to go out there, try to enjoy (it), back yourself and no matter what, just keep fighting.”
De Minaur said his improvement had been driven by critics writing him off as not enough of a physical threat to match it with the world’s best.
“It comes from a lot of people not believing in me,” he said. “So I’m just here to prove a lot of people wrong, try to keep on getting better.
“Ultimately, I’m never going to be the biggest or strongest guy, so I’ve got to adapt … I’m glad I was able to bring this level today.”
The 24-year-old matched the increased power he displayed during his demolition of world No.10 Taylor Fritz on Monday, thumping a forehand winner down the line to steal a point off Djokovic’s serve that turned into a break after a procession of errors by the Serbian superstar.
As de Minaur took a 5-4 lead following the first-set break, Djokovic could be heard telling his trainer “The more I’m playing, it’s getting worse”, referring to his wrist injury. The Australian world No.12 won 100 per cent of points on his first serve in the opening set and continued to play aggressively in the second as he broke to take a 4-3 lead.
The Australian blew three match points on his serve but held his nerve from deuce to close out the match in 93 minutes, which then gave Tomljanovic the chance to seal the tie, which she did with ease. It was a confidence boost for her given she missed most of 2023 through injury but is now starting to find her groove ahead of the Australian Open.
“She’s been fantastic all week,” team captain Lleyton Hewitt said.
Australia will play Greece or Germany in Saturday’s semifinal in Sydney.