Novak Djokovic glides past Rune to enter 15th Wimbledon quarterfinal

London: Novak Djokovic brushed past Holger Rune of Denmark to reach his 15th Wimbledon quarterfinal with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in the latest chapter of the pair’s rivalry.

Djokovic has been pushed to the limit by Rune in the past, with the Dane winning two of their previous five ATP head-to-head meetings, including the Paris Masters final in 2022.

I’m very pleased. I don’t think Holger played close to his best. Tough start for him. That got to him mentally. Waiting all day to come out on court is never easy, getting more and more tense and stressed,” said Djokovic.

By advancing to the last eight at Wimbledon for the 15th time, Djokovic claimed sole ownership of second place in the all-time list for most quarter-final appearances at the grass-court major, moving past Jimmy Connors (14). Only record eight-time champion Roger Federer has advanced to the quarter-finals more (18), according to ATP stats.

Moreover, this is 60th quarterfinal for Djokovic in a Grand Slam tennis.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion is aiming to equal Federer’s trophy haul of eight at The Championships this fortnight and he will next face Alex de Minaur after the ninth-seeded Australian eliminated Frenchman Arthur Fils in four sets.

“Alex (de Minaur) is one of the quickest, if not the quickest, player on Tour. But I’m enjoying my running still at 37. Looking forward to the match,” the Serb added.

The 37-year-old Serbian arrived at Wimbledon having undergone knee surgery in early June. He has moved comfortably throughout his first four matches, where he has defeated Jacob Fearnley and Alexei Popyrin in four sets. IANS

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