Novak Djokovic says performance was 'almost flawless' after destroying Alex de Minaur at 2023 Australian Open

ByNigel Chiu

Updated 23/01/2023 at 12:32 GMT

Novak Djokovic has said his performance against Alex de Minaur was “almost flawless” and that his leg injury felt the best it has been all tournament at this year’s Australian Open. Djokovic raced his way to a comfortable victory against the Australian and is on course for a record-extending 10th title in Melbourne. Next up for the Serbian is Andrey Rublev after he beat Holger Rune.

Novak Djokovic believes his dominant straight sets victory over Alex de Minaur was “almost flawless” as he reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for a 13th time.

Djokovic needed just over two hours to beat De Minaur 6-2 6-1 6-2 which included a run of nine games in a row in the middle of the match.

He will face Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals after the fifth seed dramatically saved two match points and won a deciding set tie-break against Holger Rune.

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Asked by Eurosport’s Barbara Schett if his performance was perfect, Djokovic said: “Close to I think, there’s not much to say about my performance.

“It was almost flawless really, from the beginning I was locked in. I felt great with my leg today, the best I have felt this tournament and I felt more free to move around.

“I knew what to expect with the crowd, the atmosphere and De Minaur - - even though I’d never faced him, I kind of knew what the game plan needed to be.

“I knew I needed to stay aggressive and take the time away from him because he’s one of the quickest players on the tour. From the beginning to the last point, great, really, really great, I played well so I’m happy.”

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The key moment in the match came when De Minaur was broken for the first time at 2-2 in the first set. From there, Djokovic went on a winning game streak that saw him not lose the next nine games.

There were no signs of any pain from the 21-time Grand Slam champion after he was visibly not 100 percent with his hamstring during his wins against Enzo Couacaud and Grigor Dimitrov.

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Djokovic says he is “super grateful” to have come through the De Minaur match relatively quickly.

“Of course I always have faith in myself and I believe in my own capabilities and quality that I possess,” he added.

“I know that I can win when I play like this against anybody really so I had the positive approach coming into the match.

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“At the same time I had to have respect for him and understanding that matches at this level can really turn around quickly, especially when you play an Australian here in Rod Laver Arena.

“The crowd was trying to cheer him up and bring him back into the match and I didn’t want that to happen so I had to keep a healthy distance the entire match.”

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Stream the 2023 Australian Open live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.co.uk

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