Novak Djokovic battles to straight-sets win over Grigor Dimitrov to reach last 16 at 2023 Australian Open
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 21/01/2023 at 13:25 GMT
Novak Djokovic moved into the last 16 of the Australian Open on Saturday as he defeated Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 6-3 6-4, despite struggling with a hamstring problem that required a medical timeout for treatment. The former world No. 1 is back in Melbourne after failing to take part last year due to his coronavirus vaccination status.
Watch the moment Djokovic wins convincingly in three sets against Dimitrov
Novak Djokovic battled injury, age and Grigor Dimitrov for a 7-6(7) 6-3 6-4 win to reach the last 16 of the Australian Open on Saturday.
In the first set Djokovic edged ahead, and at 5-3, Dimitrov was serving to stay in the set but his 12 forced errors already at that stage of the match, betrayed why the Bulgarian was trailing the world No. 5.
However Dimitrov battled back with his own break to level the scores to 5-5.
With the scores level again, the Serbian appeared to be feeling his strapped left leg, but he pulled the set back to 6-6 to force a tie-break, with Dimitrov forcing his opponent to favour that side to exacerbate his discomfort.
However Djokovic fought against his mobility problems and took the tie-break 9-7 after going from 4-1 up to 7-7. Djokovic then took a medical timeout after 77 minutes of action.
In the second set, more errors almost cost Dimitrov a service game but he managed to hold on, before he could not resist any longer and the 21-time Grand Slam winner moved 4-2 clear and then 6-3 to move two sets ahead.
That left the fourth seed needing just another set for a whitewash victory and he raced into a 3-0 lead, but the world No. 28 managed to keep pace as the pair broke one another five times in seven games to leave Djokovic serving at 4-3 up.
Dimitrov forced Djokovic into needing to serve for the match at 5-4 up before he wrapped up the win after four hours of play
Djokovic missed last year at Melbourne due to his stance on coronavirus vaccinations but was playing as one of the favourites despite his 35 years.
Speaking after his win, Djokovic acknowledged it was a tough match.
"I think every point and every game mattered," he said on court. "The turning points are the same for both players, right from the blocks the opening game, getting an early break for me was important as I didn’t know how I was going to feel physically.
"Grigor is someone I truly admire and respect, he’s one of my best friends on the tour. We go back a long time and he’s one of the most talented players you’ll see on the tour, he’s been around for years and he’s such a great athlete.
"I thought double break in the third was going to be enough for me but he was locked in from that moment up to the very last shot. I didn’t know if I was going to prevail or not. An incredible battle, three sets over three hours, let’s rest up and prepare for the next one."
Australian Alex De Minaur is up next for Djokovic, who looked a little more lethargic than at his best, and admitted he was closer to the end of his career than the start, but was making the most of his time with no suggestion of retirement just yet.
"I mean look at Rafa [Nadal], look at Andy [Murray]: they are playing an extremely high level so I’m trying to do the same," he continued.
"Obviously every season counts now probably when you come to the last stage, last quarter of your career. Obviously you start appreciating and valuing every tournament more, because you know you might not have many left in the tank.
"I’ve been very fortunate to do what I love, I truly love this sport, I love competing. It’s now been 20 years of professional sport and I can’t be more grateful than I am."
- - -
Stream the 2023 Australian Open live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.co.uk.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement