Marathon Monday
In fading light, there was nevertheless something unmistakable about Novak Djokovic. In his ninth tournament back after elbow surgery, the 12-time Grand Slam and triple Wimbledon champion is gradually rediscovering his best game.
Djokovic may have been struggling to see the ball clearly in the final stages of his fourth round match against Russian Karen Khachanov, but the signs of his resurgence were unmistakable during a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 victory that delivered the world No.21 into the quarter-finals at the All England Club for a 10th time.
So-called Manic Monday became a marathon Monday wait for the two men who finally started their match, the last of three scheduled on No.1 Court, after 7pm. Service breaks were immediately traded, then again in the sixth and seventh games, when Djokovic started showing some frustration at having handed back the advantage.
It took a loose game from Khachanov under immense pressure to split them after 38 minutes, as part of a run of 15 consecutive points to the Serb. The errors were mounting for Khachanov, who was unable to sustain the number of cheap service points from his three previous matches against one of the best returners in the game.
Despite averaging 28 aces earlier in the tournament, the Russian world No.40 took an hour to log his first, and then his second and third, and by then he was trailing by a set and 4-1. With one of his strengths slightly neutralised, the powerfully-built Khachanov faced a difficult task to beat the supreme counter-puncher Djokovic from the back of the court.
“I’m very pleased,’’ Djokovic said. “He started off with a break of serve right away, he made couple of great shots. It wasn’t the best start for me, but I managed to re-break and just get back into the set. He’s got weapons, he’s got a big first serve, he’s got a big forehand, but I managed to get a lot of first serves back in play, make him play always an extra shot. I served well when I need to, accurately.
“It was really difficult conditions to play on. The last couple of games I couldn’t really see the ball very clearly, it was already getting very dark, and it was very windy throughout the entire match, so I just had to hang in there.’’
So if Djokovic may not quite be back to his very best, he has returned to where he has been nine times previously: in the last eight of Wimbledon. In the Open era, ten quarter-final appearances brings him level with Andy Murray and behind only Roger Federer (16), Jimmy Connors (14), and his former coach Boris Becker (11).
Djokovic's opponent is convinced, certainly. "I mean, OK. of course he struggled beginning of the year, let's say first part of the year, maybe few months, but he found a way. He's back. He plays great, my opinion,'' Khachanov said. "He's really dangerous, and I think he's playing really good tennis right now.''
Next is Kei Nishikori, the No.24 seed from Japan who trails Djokovic 13-2 in career meetings, but who can open a new chapter on a different surface. “Novak is always good player on grass. He's playing better and strong again. I'm sure it's going to be tough," said Nishikori.
“He's always like big war for me. I always enjoy playing against him. It's always big challenge. Maybe I don't have good result, good record with him, but I always enjoy playing him. He's one of the best players on the tour.’’
On the night of his slightly acrimonious return to Centre Court, when so-called “Angry Novak” took exception to some “unfair” crowd treatment in Saturday’s four-set defeat of Briton Kyle Edmund, Djokovic posted an animated picture of himself with the caption, “Here to stay @Wimbledon’’. Yes, and here, still, with better crowd chemistry.
“Absolutely,’’ he said. “It was great. I enjoyed it.’’
