In the circumstances, he did a fine job of keeping his head together, because it would have been very easy to lose his temper completely.ĭjokovic was grumpy at times, berating his player box on the rare occasions when he missed a regulation stroke, and also remonstrating with chair umpire James Keothavong over a heckler who kept demanding that Rublev should “send him home”. Rublev has a reputation for being a short-tempered character – the sort of man who sometimes reacts to a miss by beating the racket on his fist until his knuckles bleed.
And when Rublev tried to return the favour, he kept sending up the most pinpoint defensive lobs imaginable. When Rublev dropped the ball short, he was quick to pounce by driving his forehand into the corners. Sadly for him, Djokovic was on a different plane altogether. The amazing thing is that, despite his swift elimination, Rublev actually played rather well. Rublev lasted just 2hr 4min on Wednesday, which was two minutes less than Alex De Minaur had managed on Monday. But the after-effects are still being felt by his unfortunate opponents. The story of Djokovic’s battle with the Australian government last year – which ended in his eventual deportation at the behest of immigration minister Alex Hawke – hardly needs retelling here. I couldn't ask for a better situation to be in at the moment.”
You could say because the injury, what happened last year. “But you could say that there is something extra this year, yeah. “I always try to give my best, particularly in grand slams, because at this stage of my career those are the tournaments that count the most.
“I don't think that I lack determination,” said Djokovic, who once again played with heavy strapping around his suspect left hamstring. Judging by his present form, he is running on a high-octane blend of intense purity. Another masterful performance on Rod Laver Arena found Novak Djokovic admitting that he is even more motivated than normal this year, because of the way he was treated by the Australian authorities 12 months ago.Īfter outclassing Andrey Rublev in a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 victory, Djokovic spoke about turning his frustrations into fuel.
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