Australian Open: 'Insane' Novak Djokovic looking 'very ominous' ahead of semi-finals - John McEnroe and Tim Henman
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ByOli Gent
Published 23/01/2024 at 11:09 GMT
Eurosport experts Tim Henman and John McEnroe were full of praise for Novak Djokovic after the Serbian world No. 1 overcame Taylor Fritz in four sets to advance to another semi-final at the Australian Open in Melbourne. Speaking in the Eurosport Cube afterwards, Henman said that he thought Djokovic in his current form was an "ominous" task, while McEnroe labelled the top seed's form as "insane".
Djokovic battles past Fritz in brutal heat to reach semi-finals - Australian Open highlights
Facing Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open is always going to be a tough task, but Eurosport expert Tim Henman believes that his current form is "very ominous" for those looking to dethrone him in Melbourne.
The world No. 1 overcame dropping the second set , running out a 7-6(3) 4-6 6-2 6-3 victor to advance into the last four.
Djokovic, who has only lost three sets en route to the semi-finals at Melbourne Park, looks to have found his best form and now seems the hot favourite to win an 11th Australian Open title.
In the Eurosport Cube afterwards, Henman voiced his concerns for Djokovic’s semi-final opponent, which will be either Jannik Sinner or Andrey Rublev.
“It’s very ominous for the other players [how relaxed he is]; how he’s looking so contented with where he’s at,” Henman said.
“His form is great. No-one would be surprised if he goes on and wins the title again.”
Djokovic had to dig deep at times against a determined Fritz, who fended off 15 break points before the Serb was finally able to crack him in the third set.
“That was a battle,” Henman said.
“He’ll be relieved to get through the match. I don’t know why we’re surprised, we’ve seen him play this type of tennis so often in Melbourne. He finds a way to get the job done.
“He can’t relax in that second set and just lose it if he loses the first set. That’s why we realised how important that was for both players, but especially Fritz, to have those set points [in the first set] and not take them.
“It just gives Djokovic the breathing room, and from Fritz’s point of view, he’s played an hour and 25 minutes for that first set and got nothing out of it. He’s like, ‘Wow, I’ve still got to win three of the next four’. So it’s a mountain to climb at all times.”
Mats Wilander, a three-time Australian Open champion himself, agreed with Henman's assessment.
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Djokovic looking 'ominous' says Henman as experts react to quarter-final win
“The first set changes everything,” said Wilander. “When you say three hours and 45 minutes, I would say that Taylor Fritz was out there for three hours and 45 minutes. Novak is not out there for more than two hours.
“The third set wasn’t very hard. Novak has this unbelievable ability to suddenly just relax and let it go, which is what he kind of did in the second set.
“Zero for 15 break points, that’s unbelievable. He wants to be two sets up. But does it matter if he doesn’t win the second set? Not really. There’s a big difference on what Taylor Fritz has to go through and what Novak goes through because he’s so much better in so many places.”
On Eurosport Germany’s Matchball Becker, Djokovic’s former coach Boris Becker admitted that he was a tad concerned about the world No. 1 at times during the quarter-final.
"That was hard work,” Becker said. “The first set lasted over 90 minutes. After the second set, I was worried about my dear Novak for the first time - physically as well, because he was breathing a lot.
“But in the 10 minutes that Fritz was in the dressing room, Novak recovered. When he got the first break in the third set, I was sure that he would win the match."
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'Hand it to Novak' - McEnroe pays credit to Djokovic's serving
John McEnroe, meanwhile, was full of praise for Djokovic’s standards.
“I have to hand it to Novak because he started serving terribly,” Eurosport expert McEnroe told the Cube.
“His percentage was like 20%. By the end of the match, he had more aces and was a higher percentage than Fritz, who I don’t think served that badly.
“At one stage he was zero for 15 on break points and it still felt like he was putting all kinds of pressure on Fritz, who did a lot of good things. He played really well; tried a lot of different things. He tried the drop shot, he tried to come in more….you name it. It didn’t work, because Djokovic has got everything now. Absolutely everything; he can do anything now.
“It’s amazing to watch; to see this guy at 36 years old want it this much, to have the hunger to do what it takes. I thought I knew what it took to play at a high level. This is a crazy level. It’s insane.”
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