Novak Djokovic bounces back from losing the third set to defeat Hubert Hurkacz’s challenge as the defending champion reaches the quarterfinals at Wimbledon
Not many people will go to their graves being able to say they reduced Novak Djokovic’s peak to a state of misery at Wimbledon, but Hubert Hurkacz will be one of the select few.
The great, burly Pole served with such ferocity that he managed the rare feat of turning the wind up for the man who has forgotten how to lose in SW19.
And still, that wasn’t enough, with Djokovic reaching Tuesday’s quarterfinals by ending his match in straight sets, making it 7-6, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4.
A bit of encouragement for those who remained on the pitch was that there were moments during this two-day match when the 36-year-old Serb looked vulnerable, and he put it that way afterwards.
“I can’t remember the last time I felt so miserable in comeback games, thanks to Hubert’s powerful and accurate serves,” said Djokovic, whose unbeaten streak on Center Court dates back to the 2013 final against Andy Murray.
Novak Djokovic reaches Wimbledon quarterfinals after beating Hubert Hurkacz
Djokovic had led by two sets since Sunday, but lost the third set to the world No. 17.
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‘It’s one of the best serves in the world and it’s hard to read. It really wasn’t a nice match for me, this could have gone either way.”
That is true, and it will have been duly noted by Andrey Rublev, who will face him on Tuesday afternoon with perhaps a little more hope in his heart than might have been the case.
The Russian has extremely quick legs and hands, but lacks the howitzer service possessed by Hurkacz, for whom Djokovic’s admission of anxiety should be little consolation.
She could have won this match by showing a little more composure on tie breaks, which is the easiest thing to say in tennis and the hardest thing to do.
The psychological control that Djokovic has over his opponents in tiebreaks right now is a sporting phenomenon and is one of the main reasons why he is likely to win this title again.
Hurkacz had led him 6-3 in the opener and had him at 6-6 in the second before the night’s suspension, and both times he didn’t have the nerve to seal the deal when his opponent closed out the game.
On Monday, the Pole impressed again, and he will be delighted to avoid the dreaded tiebreaker when he broke 6-5 when Djokovic became too passive, looking down into his box for answers.
“I don’t remember being that helpless in return games,” said Djokovic, facing regular lightning at 130-plus mph. “In the important moments, particularly in the fourth, I was able to read his serve, make that break, that was the key to success.”
However, Djokovic rallied to win 6-4 in a close round of 16 clash at Wimbledon.
Djokovic saved three set points against Hurkacz (pictured) on his way to winning two tiebreakers on Sunday before the action was ended by a strict 11pm curfew
And that’s why it’s so hard to beat the 36-year-old Serb in the best of five sets. Even when he’s uncomfortable, like when perhaps the greatest returner in history couldn’t win back 50% of his opponent’s serves in the first two sets, he still finds a way.
We have seen it so many times before at Wimbledon and elsewhere. Someone starts to scale the wall against him and then kicks the ladder, in this case finally getting a read on the utilities coming his way.
It is still difficult to see someone on the field who, on grass, is going to stop his march towards being three quarters of a Grand Slam on the calendar.
As of now, the reduced schedule means there won’t even be the challenge of having a match postponed, which he believes should be spearheaded by an earlier start to the opening rounds. Rublev is next, but he will have to produce something extraordinary.
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