Wimbledon 2024: Alex de Minaur heaps praise on Novak Djokovic after remarkable recovery - 'It's just what Novak does'
Published 09/07/2024 at 07:54 GMT+1
Novak Djokovic looked like he would miss Wimbledon after undergoing surgery on a torn medial meniscus on June 5. However, he has bounced back and looked in fine form in SW19. It was no surprise to Alex de Minaur, who says fans should have expected Djokovic to be back to his best quickly after years of defying the odds. De Minaur reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon by beating Arthur Fils.
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Video credit: SNTV
Alex de Minaur admits he is not surprised to see Novak Djokovic firing at Wimbledon just over a month after undergoing surgery.
The world No. 2 will face the Australian in the quarter-finals in SW19 despite undergoing surgery on a torn medial meniscus on June 5.
Djokovic has impressed despite the injury, coming from a set behind against Alexei Popyrin in the third round and easing to a straight-sets win over Holger Rune to reach the last eight.
De Minaur believes Djokovic, who delivered a fiery on-court interview following his win, has proven he can bounce back from surgery quickly in the past.
"It's just what Novak does," he said. "Yeah, I'm not surprised.
"I mean, we've seen him do these things in the past, recover and be back like he never left.
"Of course, he's one of those guys that looks after his body, does all the one percenters in the whole world.
"You can tell with his quick recovery time.
"It doesn't surprise me. There were rumours he was maybe going to miss Wimby or whatever.
"I knew deep down he was definitely going to be back.
"Yeah, it doesn't shock me that he's back. Playing some great tennis, looking like he never left."
De Minaur defeated Arthur Fils on No. 1 Court to book his place in the quarter-finals.
There may be no Brits in the quarter-finals, but De Minaur hopes his relationship with British No. 1 Katie Boulter can encourage fans in West London to get behind him as the competition progresses.
"Oh, 100%. I'll take all the support I can get," he added.
"I can be the honorary Brit here at Wimbledon. I'll take all the support I can get.
"I do feel very loved out there, I must say.
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"I always love coming here to Wimbledon and playing here.
"I always feel like I play some of my best tennis.
"Over the years I feel like the support I've had has grown significantly.
"It's a great feeling as a player to know you've got a lot of people in that stadium backing you, having your back when, essentially, you're so far away from home.
"Over the years I've learnt a lot more about the British culture thanks to Katie. I'm getting there."
Stream daily highlights from Wimbledon at 10pm UK time, as well as the two singles finals live on July 13 and 14, on discovery+
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