By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, January 21, 2019
Novak Djokovic subdued Daniil Medvedev, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3, fighting into his 10th Australian Open quarterfinal and a date with Kei Nishikori.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
Knocked down chasing a stinging Daniil Medvedev drive, Novak Djokovic slowly scraped himself off the court and rose to resume the battle.
In a physically-punishing baseline brawl, Djokovic absorbed Medvedev's menacing blows and answered with a voracious appetite for the fight.
Watch: Nishikori Rallies In 5-Set Thriller
A gritty Djokovic denied Medvedev, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3, fighting into his 10th Australian Open quarterfinal and a date with Kei Nishikori.
"Hard to go through him," Djokovic said of Medvedev. "It was kind of a cat-and-a-mouse game for most of the match. That's why it was so lengthy. We had rallies of 40, 45 exchanges.
"That's why I think it was physically exhausting because of the fact that we didn't really allow each other to think that we can make, you know, a lot of unforced errors and give away points. His backhand is very, very solid. He didn't give me much from that side, but, you know, you can't always play on the forehand. You have to open up the court and try to be patient and construct the point."
The 31-year-old Serbian scored a perfect 10: Djokovic has now reached at least 10 quarterfinals in all four Grand Slam events.
It is Djokovic's 43rd career Grand Slam quarterfinal, second to Roger Federer's record of 53 major quarterfinals.
Continuing his quest for a record seventh Australian Open championship, Djokovic showed strong survival skills prevailing in a three hour, 15-minute clash that popped with some tremendous rallies and ended at nearly 12:45 a.m. Melbourne time.
"Since I guess my next opponent is watching, I feel fantastic, I've never felt pressure in my life," Djokovic joked when asked by Jim Courier how he was feeling.
"I'll tell you later (how I feel). Definitely, a physical battle. Daniil has been playing some really good tennis in the last six months. He's got a big serve, obviously, backhand, doesn't make any unforced errors from that (wing). He defends well, he can come into the net, he can defend well from the back of the court. It was difficult to go through him so I just had to find a different way."
It was Djokovic's 18th straight Grand Slam victory and came the night after 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas toppled two-time defending champion Federer.
An old tennis adage tells us major upsets can be contagious.
And when a stubborn Medvedev stormed back from a set and 2-4 down to take the second set, Djokovic seemed to be feeling the strain from punishing rallies.
Down 1-2 in third set, Djokovic slipped and crashed to the court near the service line apparently straining his hip. The Serbian climbed off the court to continue.
Confronting triple break point, Djokovic reeled off seven of the next eight points igniting a three-game run to take charge of the set.
"I was fortunate, I guess, to save a couple of break points," Djokovic. "I think I was Love-40, and 2-1 for him in the third set. That was a crucial game, a crucial hold. In this kind of matches, you just have to hang in there and wait for the opportunities."
The 14-time Grand Slam champion improved his Australian Open record to 65-8 as he moves closer to a 73rd career title.