“It’s funny how life works,” Alex de Minaur observed in an interview with Stan Sport, after beating Danish qualifier August Holmgren in straight sets on Saturday at Wimbledon.
“Last year I wasn’t able to play against [Novak Djokovic] or show up on the court because of an injury, and here we are a year later and I get my opportunity and chance again.”
When De Minaur and Djokovic meet, it will be one of only three fourth-round matches between two seeds in the men’s draw. Fans will finally get to see what might have played out 12 months ago, when they were due to meet in the quarterfinals.
At the very end of his fourth-round victory over Arthur Fils last year, De Minaur sustained a hip cartilage tear. It forced him to pull out of the tournament prior to his match with Djokovic and prevented him from playing singles again until the US Open.
Last year Djokovic had been slightly vulnerable, himself recovering from surgery to fix a meniscus tear sustained in Paris just weeks earlier. De Minaur had been soaring, becoming the ‘s-Hertogenbosch champion just a week after reaching his first Roland Garros quarterfinal.
This time around it’s Djokovic who is flying, following a run to the Roland Garros semifinals and an imperious march to the last 16 at Wimbledon. He has won his past eight consecutive sets, two of those 6-0.
It’s De Minaur who enters the match as a slightly unknown quantity, lacking his usual grasscourt preparation after taking some time away from tennis to address burnout.
“I need to bring a good level; that’s standard. I’ve got to be ready for some tough moments. He’s gonna be very difficult to beat,” said De Minaur, the 11th seed.
“I do have the level in me to beat him, but again, be ready for a battle, [be] ready to compete, and ultimately I’m going to have to go after it.
“It’s what you want to be playing, ultimately. You don’t want to go through these tournaments and feel like everything’s been handed to you on a silver platter – you want to be beating the best players in the world and I get an opportunity [to do that].
“I see it as the ultimate challenge in this sport, and I’m ready for that challenge.”
It will be an almighty challenge, given what Djokovic has produced on the lawns so far this fortnight.
He overwhelmed fellow Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3 6-0 6-4 on Centre Court on Saturday – his 100th match victory at Wimbledon.
The more the 38-year-old wins, the more history he creates, and there are extraordinary milestones on the line for him at SW19 this year, where he is targeting a seventh consecutive final.
A tournament victory would see him equal Roger Federer’s men’s record of eight singles titles, earn an all-time record 25th major title, and become the oldest Grand Slam singles champion in Open-era history.
Despite overlapping for many years on tour, Djokovic and De Mianur have only played three times. Djokovic leads the head-to-head 2-1, and in their only Grand Slam meeting, Djokovic dropped just five games in a Rod Laver Arena masterclass in 2023.
He is, however, wary of how this match-up could unfold on grass.
“It’s gonna be a great challenge,” Djokovic told Stan Sport.
“I think Alex is a player who has been improving so much [in the] last couple of years. He’s already now an established top-10 player, and on grass particularly I think it suits him very well.
“He plays well. The speed is obvious, but I think he now has more power in his serve and getting a lot of free points there. He stands closer to the line and he really obviously enjoys playing on grass.
“I think it’s going to be a good match for both of us. A good challenge, good test.
“I’ve been playing very well last couple of matches, so I look forward to it.”