Djokovic needs rest but can’t resist grand slams
NOVAK Djokovic said he would have pulled out of the Australian Open if it was not a grand slam after battling past Milos Raonic and into the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park.
The world number one was pessimistic he would even be able to take to the court for the match after sustaining an apparent stomach muscle injury during his five-set victory over Taylor Fritz on Friday.
Djokovic was convinced he had suffered a tear but, after skipping practice on Saturday in order to undergo tests, he battled to a 7-6 (4) 4-6 6-1 6-4 victory against Raonic.
There were a few winces and some unusual misses, particularly when Djokovic was pulled to his forehand side, but the Serbian generally moved well and was too strong off the ground for his big-serving opponent.
Asked about his condition after the match, Djokovic told Eurosport: “(It’s) good enough to compete. It’s not ideal, I’ve felt better.
“I didn’t have much of a preparation for this match, I didn’t hit a tennis ball since two nights ago.”
The eight-time champion revealed his continued participation in the tournament remained in doubt until shortly before the contest.
He said: “I warmed up a couple of hours before tonight’s match to really see how I would feel. If I wasn’t in the (right) condition, I would pull out.
“There was a big cloud of doubt whether I’m going to play or not but it’s a grand slam and, for me, at this stage of my career, this means everything. If it was any other tournament, I probably wouldn’t be playing.”
Raonic had lost all of his previous 11 matches against Djokovic, winning only three sets, and, although the Canadian had his moments, he could not trouble his opponent consistently enough.
After losing the second set, Djokovic hit back strongly to win the third and a break of serve in the ninth game of the fourth proved the crucial moment.
He will now have another two days to try to recover fully ahead of a lasteight clash with Alexander Zverev, who defeated Dusan Lajovic in straight sets.
Third seed Dominic Thiem became the biggest casualty of the Australian Open so far with a meek defeat by Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round.
Thiem battled back from two sets down to beat Nick Kyrgios on Friday and it appeared that effort had taken it out of the Austrian, who led Novak Djokovic by two sets to one in the final in Melbourne last year before winning his first grand slam title at the US Open.
This match could not have been more different to Friday’s clash, which was played in a raucous atmosphere, and the empty stadium matched Thiem’s demeanour as he slumped to a 6-4 6-4 6-0 loss.
Thiem cited “some little physical issues” but said: “I don’t want to find any excuses. But the thing is that I’m also not a machine.”
Dimitrov certainly played his part, staying extremely solid and taking full advantage of his opponent’s struggles and he has eased through to a fourth quarter-final in Melbourne.
The 29-year-old said: “Clearly maybe he was struggling a little bit in the third set or not, but I think I did all the necessary to keep a steady play.”
There, the Bulgarian will play this week’s surprise package, qualifier Aslan Karatsev, who continued his remarkable run with a 3-6 1-6 6-3 6-3 6-4 victory over 20th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.
At 27, Russian Karatsev has spent his whole career in the lower reaches of the sport, never breaking the top 100 or playing in the main draw of a grand slam until this week.
He is the first debutant to reach the quarter-finals of the men’s singles at a slam since Alex Radulescu at Wimbledon in 1996 and the first qualifier to make the last eight in a decade.
Dimitrov will certainly not be taking the outcome for granted, saying: “Clearly in order for him to be here he’s done something right, and he’s playing great tennis right now. Of course he’s a dangerous player.”
For Karatsev, this is reward for years of toil away from the spotlight, and he said: “I was working a lot and it just happened right now. It’s like you never know when it happens. It just happened here.”
Twenty-year-old Auger-Aliassime is one of the most exciting young talents in men’s tennis and this will surely be a tough defeat to get over.
The young Canadian believes it will prove to be a valuable experience, though, saying: “It’s really a shame that I couldn’t get through today. It’s difficult to swallow, but it’s tennis, that’s how it is, life, and honestly it can only help me in the future.”