Australian Open 2023: Alex de Minaur takes advantage of Novak Djokovic’s ‘injury’
While Novak Djokovic’s mysterious hamstring injury remains a mystery, fourth-round rival Alex de Minaur plans to find out if the Australian Open favorite is just faking or not.
If Novak Djokovic really has a bad hamstring – and not everyone is convinced he does – then Alex de Minaur must send him into a world of pain during their blockbuster clash at the Australian Open.
In other words, the laid-back Aussie needs to shed his nice personality for one night and transform into a cold-blooded assassin.
That’s the blunt advice given to him by Australian tennis legend de Minaur poised to pull off a stunning win over the Serbian superstar.
Regardless of whether Djokovic is truly injured or not, the demon is the clear underdog, so his best odds of winning are to exploit his opponent’s perceived fitness issues by making him run like a cattle dog.
“That’s Alex’s game anyway,” said Australia’s former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt.
“He’s going to hit so many balls. He will make it difficult for Novak. He needs to focus on moving it as much as possible.”
The severity of Djokovic’s injury has stunned everyone.
Djokovic, one of the fittest athletes in all sports, is playing with a heavily bandaged left hamstring and says he needs pills and cream to ease the pain.
Djokovic, one of the fittest athletes in all sports, is playing with a heavily bandaged left hamstring and says he needs pills and cream to ease the pain.
He has taken medical time-outs in each of his three Australian Open games so far, but skeptics wonder if he’s just playing mind games after losing just one set since arriving at Melbourne Park.
Former Wimbledon semi-finalist Jelena Dokic said it was crucial for de Minaur not to be distracted by Djokovic’s theatrics.
“Alex really doesn’t need to look across the square,” she said. “Play the ball. Not the opponent.
“Novak has something going. It was clear yesterday. He doesn’t slip on that left leg backhand slide. He protects it.”
For his part, De Minaur says he doesn’t even think about whether Djokovic is really injured or not.
“I will not interpret too much from this injury,” he said.
“Ultimately, he’s one of the best players in the world and I just have to do it to him and not shy away from the opportunity. I’ll make sure to make it as hard as possible.
“These are the matches I want. It will be exciting. I’ll cheer myself on, get the crowd behind me and definitely have a good time.”
De Minaur has been in great form this season, beating Rafa Nadal at the United Cup in Sydney earlier this month but this will be his first time facing Djokovic.
Champion coach Darren Cahill said that could work in the Australian’s favor but he should also expect Djokovic to have done his homework.
“Novak won’t give it to him,” Cahill said. “He is very interested in analytics. He goes back to the video, he will know Alex’s game inside and out.
“The biggest danger of playing Novak is overplaying…sometimes it’s a decent game to just throw the ball in the middle of the court and stick with it until you have something to do.”
As Cahill predicted, Djokovic confirmed he’d been keeping a close eye on de Minaur’s progress, so he knows what to expect from him and the narrow-minded Australian crowd.
“It’s a big challenge to play against an Australian here,” said Djokovic.
“I’m sure the atmosphere will be electric and he’ll have a lot of support and he’ll be fired up to try and win the match.
“But I’ve had experience. I played Lleyton Hewitt here. I’ve played against some big Australian players so I know how that feels. I know what to expect.
“The fact that I never met him is also a challenge for me and him.
“I don’t think we know much about each other’s games but we still know each other pretty well because he’s been around for a number of years.
“I’ve seen him play countless times. I know how he plays, so let’s see what happens.”
De Minaur also hopes local fans will help him reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
“It’s no secret that I love playing here in my garden. I think the Australian crowd is amazing. They’ve had their backs on me since that day,” he said.
“The goal is to go deep everywhere I go. This is the ultimate.
“I’m sure I’ll make it. It’s taken some time but I feel very good about myself, happy where the level is, where I’m progressing.
“I’m taking it to the top guys in the world and doing it deep in slams. It’s about striving to be among the best in the world.”
Originally released as Australian Open 2023: Alex de Minaur takes advantage of Novak Djokovic’s ‘injury’
https://www.codesports.com.au/tennis/australian-open-2023-alex-de-minaur-to-exploit-novak-djokovics-injury/news-story/8d1a4cd2f7943de31e362e70f65d597c?nk=9500b5c9dc5bb7b935148864b75cf56b-1674377287 Australian Open 2023: Alex de Minaur takes advantage of Novak Djokovic’s ‘injury’
