The Serbian tennis sensation Novak Djokovic defeated Hubert Hurkacz 7-6, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 upon the resumption of their fourth-round clash on Monday.
The tie was suspended due to a curfew on Sunday night as Djokovic was leading by two sets, however, Hurkacz fought back on the Centre Court when the game resumed.
In the first two sets on Sunday (July 9), the Polish tennis star pushed Djokovic to the wall as he almost won two sets but The Serb — known for thriving under pressure — won both sets.
Everyone inside the Centre Court felt that the Serb may finally lose at Wimbledon for the first time since 2017 as Hurkacz won the third set without much difficulty, but Djokovic found a way to bag the fourth and the final set even without being at his best.
With the victory, the 23-time Grand Slam winner also reached his 14th Wimbledon quarter-final. On the occasion, he said:
“Big credit to Hubert for playing an amazing match. Tough luck to him today but he put up a great performance. Honestly, I don’t know the last time I felt this miserable on returning games due to his incredibly powerful and accurate serve. It’s so difficult to read it.
“It was not an enjoyable match for me but in the important moments last night, I was fortunate to win that first set. This match definitely could have gone a different way but I held my nerve when it mattered and found a way to win.”
Earlier, Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time on Monday when his fourth-round opponent Jiri Lehecka retired injured after losing the first two sets 6-4 6-2.
The 21-year-old Lehecka, who had played a four-hour five-set match against Tommy Paul in the last round, took a timeout after the first set while a trainer treated blisters on his right foot.
The Serb — who just secured his record 23rd Grand Slam title last month in Paris — is looking forward to increasing his tally to 24 by winning Wimbledon.