London (AP) Novak Djokovic said just before Wimbledon started that it was the tournament that offered him the best chance to win a record 25th Grand Slam singles title. Given that he has already won seven titles there and advanced to the previous six finals, it made logical.
It certainly didn’t seem like that would happen this year, except for one unusually shaky set in the fourth round on Monday. However, Djokovic recovered to defeat 11th-seeded Alex de Minaur 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 at Centre Court, avoiding what would have been his earliest loss at the All England Club since 2016.
A week after matches were played in record-breaking heat, Djokovic, 38, had a rough start on the grass below on a breezy afternoon with temperatures in the 60s Fahrenheit (teens Celsius), with eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer seated in the front row of the Royal Box.
There were many difficult times for me, Djokovic remarked.
That includes falling behind 4-1 in the fourth set, but he only won the final five games and 14 of the last 15 points.
raised his level significantly, according to de Minaur.
Djokovic will take on No. 22 Flavio Cobolli of Italy in an attempt to win his eighth Wimbledon championship and his 25th Grand Slam singles victory overall. Cobolli defeated 2014 U.S. Open champion and two-time major runner-up Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3) to get to his first major quarterfinal.
This will be Djokovic’s 63rd Slam quarterfinal appearance.
He committed error after error against de Minaur, double-faulting four times in the opening set alone. Djokovic faced 26-year-old Australian de Minaur, who had 19 break points overall, and dropped five of his first seven service games.
During the first set alone, Djokovic committed 16 unforced errors.
On the BBC coverage, John McEnroe, the three-time Wimbledon champion of the 1980s, stated, “I can’t remember when I’ve seen him play a worse set than this.” Literally, years have passed.
Overall, Djokovic was confused and later attributed it to nerves and a whirling wind. Between points, he hurried. When shots were missed, he would roll his eyes, yell and glare at his guest box, or spread his arms wide as though he was asking for an explanation.
He grumbled after his first-round triumph last week about the ice-filled towel he put on his stomach during changeovers, which is often draped around players’ necks in sweltering situations. However, Djokovic later downplayed the importance of that.
Since he was defeated by Sam Querrey in the third round of Wimbledon nine years prior, a defeat would have been Djokovic’s earliest Wimbledon result.
Djokovic has nearly increased his total since taking home his men’s-record 24th major trophy at the 2023 U.S. Open. He lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final last year for the second time in a row, with the same outcome, and left each of the first two Slams of 2025 in the semifinals.
Now, no man as old as Djokovic has ever taken home a major title. His diving volley victory earlier in the tournament and Djokovic’s break to take a 2-1 lead in the second set on Monday after a 35-stroke exchange are just two examples of how he consistently demonstrates why it’s not absurd to believe he could. He waved his arms and put his right index finger to his ear to get the onlookers to make noise.
To be honest, I didn’t have many answers, Djokovic admitted, but I simply reset myself in the second.
The formal comeback had begun, and he was shortly capping a 27-shot point with a winner to end the third set.
Knowing that he was just the most recent—and possibly not the last—to lose to a charging Djokovic, de Minaur appeared to have accepted defeat at the end.
In summary, de Minaur has demonstrated a strong ability to perform well under pressure for a considerable amount of time.
What else happened at Wimbledon on Monday?
Playing at Wimbledon for the first time since becoming a mother, Belinda Bencic defeated No. 18 Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6 (4), 6-4 to get to her first quarterfinal. Liudmila Samsonova, the 19th seed, defeated Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 7-5, 7-5 to advance to her maiden major quarterfinal.
Who plays at the All England Club on Tuesday?
Aryna Sabalenka, ranked first, will face Laura Siegemund in the women’s quarterfinals, while Amanda Anisimova, ranked thirteenth, will face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. No. 5 Taylor Fritz will face No. 17 Karen Khachanov in the men’s quarterfinals, while No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz will face Cam Norrie.