Novak Djokovic Completes Win Over Hubert Hurkacz To Reach Wimbledon QFs | ATP Tour | Tennis

Novak Djokovic wanted a second day and loads of laborious work to complete the job, however the second seed superior to the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Monday.

After successful the primary two units on Sunday night, the seven-time champion returned to Centre Courtroom 16 hours later and dropped the third set earlier than sealing a 7-6(6), 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-4 victory over Hubert Hurkacz.

“Massive credit score to Hubert for enjoying a tremendous match, powerful luck for him right now,” Djokovic stated in his on-court interview. “However he put up an excellent efficiency. Truthfully, I do not recall the final time I felt this depressing in returning video games to be trustworthy, resulting from his extremely correct and highly effective serve.”

Throughout two days of motion, Hurkacz’s serve stymied Djokovic, broadly thought of the most effective returners in historical past. The seventeenth seed didn’t lose serve within the match — or the event — till 3-3 within the fourth set. However Djokovic ultimately broke via to maneuver on after three hours and 6 minutes.

“He’s bought the most effective serves on this planet and it is so tough to learn it. Enjoying clearly on the quickest floor in [the] sport, grass court docket, it actually favours large servers. So it was not likely [an] pleasant match for me, I need to say,” Djokovic stated. “However I assume within the essential moments, yesterday final night time, I used to be lucky actually, to win that first set. I used to be 3/6 down within the tie-break. This match undoubtedly may have gone a distinct approach. However I assume I held my nerves when it mattered and I am completely happy to win.”

The match may have been much more annoying than a four-set triumph for the 23-time main winner, who has now received 32 consecutive tour-level matches on grass. Djokovic saved three set factors within the first-set tie-break and rallied from a late mini-break down within the second-set tie-break.

Match referee Gerry Armstrong suspended play Sunday night after the tip of the second set, at 10:35 p.m. native time, given it was impossible the match can be performed to a conclusion earlier than the 11 p.m. curfew. When the motion resumed, it was Hurkacz who performed the extra relaxed tennis, which helped him win the third set. His 33 aces proved menacing for the Serbian.

However Djokovic survived and can subsequent play seventh seed Andrey Rublevwho defeated Alexander Bublik in 5 units on Sunday. The 23-time main winner leads the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head sequence 3-1, with Rublev successful on clay in final 12 months’s Belgrade remaining.

Of their three different conferences, Djokovic didn’t lose greater than 4 video games a set. These clashes got here on the Nitto ATP Finals (in 2021 and 2022) and this 12 months’s Australian Open.