“I think I played exceptionally well. I am very happy with my performance and a little surprised by the result. It was my best match of the tournament so far,” Djokovic told the crowd at Rod Laver Arena, which had a strong Serbian presence.
The Serbian star gestured towards a fan after sealing the match, humorously suggesting that the individual go to bed after apparently teasing him throughout the match. “Now that the match is over, we could meet to reflect on what happened,” he told the fan.
Djokovic’s next opponent, Lehecka, also showed remarkable talent as he secured his convincing victory over Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi with a score of 6-2, 6-3, 6-3.
After receiving medical assistance during the first set due to fatigue, Djokovic has now reached the round of 16 at a Grand Slam for the seventeenth time, placing him just one round behind Swiss legend Roger Federer, who holds the record with 18 fourth-round appearances in Grand Slam history.
-For the first time in this tournament, Djokovic advanced without dropping a single set, overcoming his first two obstacles against American wildcard Nishesh Basavareddy and Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria in four sets each.
Despite the convincing victory, the Belgrade native appeared frustrated at times, frequently looking towards his bench led by British tennis icon and long-time rival Andy Murray. Djokovic is aiming to cement his place in history by becoming the oldest player to win a major title, which would make him the only player – male or female – to surpass the remarkable milestone of 24 Grand Slam victories.
Following his victory in the first night session at Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic became the second player over 37 to reach the fourth round at Melbourne Park, following in the footsteps of Roger Federer, who was the first to achieve this feat.
Related News :