Novak Djokovic lifted the ‘curse’ put on him by Roger Federer by winning in front of the Swiss on Centre Court. Eight-time Wimbledon winner Djokovic made it through to the quarter-finals with a hard-fought win over Alex de Minaur on Monday after being trounced in the opening set.
During his on-court interview, with Federer watching on from the Royal Box, Djokovic said: “It’s probably the first time he’s watched me and I won the match! The last couple I lost, so it’s good to break the curse!
“It’s great to have Roger here, someone I admired and respected a lot. It’s great to have him back at his most successful and favourite tournament, no doubt.”
Dissecting his battle with De Minaur, he added: “Sometimes I wish I had the serve and volley and nice tough of the gentleman standing right there [Federer]. That would help! But I can’t complain.
“I still have to run a lot and that’s fine. I was trying to mix it up. I didn’t feel the ball so well in the first set but I got used to the conditions and started to find my forehand.”
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