BEVERLY HILLS, February 15, (THEWILL) – World Number One Novak Djokovic secured his place in the quarter-finals of the 2021 Australian Open with his 300th Grand Slam win, despite coming into the match with Milos Raonic with major injury doubts especially from his last match against American Taylor Fritz.
Djokovic suffered a minor setback in the second set of that match when he appeared to be grimacing at times and ended up letting the big Canadian back into the match. However, that did not stop Djokovic who confirmed his presence in the second week at Melbourne Park with a ruthlessly efficient finish to the clash.
“If it’s any other tournament than a Grand Slam, I would withdraw from the event, for sure…I didn’t know before I finished my warm-up whether I’m going to play or not,” the number one said after the match.
It was surprising that the Serb not only returned but won in a relatively drama-free nature. Raonic began the match with a number of thunderous serves and groundstrokes which prompted early concerns as to Djokovic’s physical robustness off the back of his abdominal tear.
Djokovic then settled into the match quickly to take the opening set in clinical fashion via a tie-break in which he demonstrated impressive intensity once again.
The Canadian 14th seed did manage to get back on terms after taking the second set, and there were fleeting fears for his opponent’s condition, but it was Raonic who ended up having to receive medical treatment at the changeover at the second set.
For the third, Djokovic conceded just a solitary game to reassert his authority on the match as it flew by quickly. He was his utterly dominant self again. In the ninth game of the fourth set, the Serb put the hammer down as he brought up three break points with inspired play from the back of the court. Raonic could only save two of them.
Playing better as the match progressed, Djokovic duly closed it out to the enormous relief to him and his coaching team as he relied once more on his much-improved serve to triumph over Raonic.
The victory sets the defending champion up for a mouthwatering quarter-final clash against sixth seed Alexander Zverev. The German continued his solid form so far in the tournament with a fine win over Dusan Lajovic, the other Serb in the Open.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
