- Alex de Minaur has been warned not to ‘anger’ Novak Djokovic
- Djokovic made a surprising speech against the central court crowd
- Mark Philippoussis has given the Australian a warning
Wimbledon favourite Mark Philippoussis believes Alex de Minaur can cause a stir by beating Novak Djokovic in his first quarter-final on Centre Court, but smiles that it may not be the best idea to anger the seven-time champion.
Australian tennis greats were optimistic about the “Devil’s” chances of beating the seven-time champion on Wednesday, but all agreed with former Wimbledon doubles champion Todd Woodbridge’s verdict that the Sydney native will pay for the “match of his life”.
Speaking ahead of the SW19 Legends Invitational doubles match, 2003 finalist Philippoussis said: “Of course he (de Minaur) can beat Djokovic. He has the game and the mentality to take on anyone.
‘He’s doing everything he needs to do, he’s in the top 10 in the world, he’s playing with confidence, he’s one of the best tennis players of his career, he’s already won a tournament on grass this season and he’s still pushing the best.
“We know the heart he has and the speed he has on the court, but the good thing, and I think it’s a big part of him getting into the top 10, is that he’s being more aggressive, which he needed to be.”
But Philippoussis, now 47, could not help but smile as he watched Djokovic, after his victory over Holger Rune in Monday’s round of 16 match, angrily lash out at the Dane’s fans, who he felt were disrespecting him with their chants.
‘I saw a little bit of what happened. I could see him on a changeover doing something, and I thought, ‘well, something’s going on, someone made him angry, which is a bad idea. You don’t want to make Novak angry!’
“I think he wants to hear ‘boo’, to be honest, because it makes him play better. If I was playing with him, I’d just congratulate him on a switch. I don’t want to upset that guy, that’s for sure!”
Alex de Minaur (left) has been warned not to ‘anger’ Novak Djokovic
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“That mentality, even towards certain sections of the crowd, to be honest, I love to see it. That’s what he brings.”
‘It’s something he uses to his advantage. I’m not saying he needs it, but sometimes you can see in his eyes that when he’s focused and excited about something, his mind changes level. He just concentrates and uses that to play better.
‘His confidence is growing with each game. His confidence has also grown with his knee (which needed surgery a month ago).
“If you want to win a Grand Slam, you have to play against the best in the world and beat the best, and this kid is one of them.”
Like the rest of Australian tennis, Philippoussis was alarmed to see De Minaur’s muted celebrations after he suffered a hip problem while stretching to play a winning volley on his winning point against Frenchman Arthur Fils.
“It’s not the kind of celebration you’d expect from a quarter-final, but I know it’s normal to feel muscle discomfort in the second week of Wimbledon,” said the big-serving player.