Novak Djokovic is back, and that's an understatement, as he totally outclassed Adrian Mannarino in the fourth round of the 2024 Australian Open.
The Serbian didn't play well in his first two matches in Melbourne this year, but his performance was much better against Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the third round of the tournament.
In the fourth round, he took on Mannarino, who has played three five-set matches en route to the fourth round, and it was expected that despite an obvious advantage in experience and skill, the 24-time Grand Slam champion would have the upper hand in this match.
However, probably no one expected that Djokovic would be as dominant as he was. He played his first day session match in Melbourne in over 1,000 days, and it seems that he would probably want all of his matches to be played during the day session.
The 10-time Australian Open champion faced two break points already in the opening game of the match, and it could have been a great start for Mannarino, but instead, it went completely the other way.
Djokovic saved both, broke his opponent's serve after that, and then he did it again, and again, and again, and again, and again. The 36-year-old has won his serve six times and broke his opponent's serve six times in the first 12 games, serving him a double bagel and winning the opening two sets 6-0, 6-0.
The Frenchman then started the third set well, finally winning a game, but it didn't last long before Djokovic broke again to cruise towards a simple match win 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 and reach the quarterfinals of the 2024 Australian Open.
Up next, he will take on the winner of the match between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Taylor Fritz, an opponent that could prove to be a real challenge for him.
Novak Djokovic | Adrian Mannarino | |
---|---|---|
17 | Aces | 1 |
5 | Double Faults | 0 |
70% | First Serve % | 59% |
81% (39/48) | Points Won After First Serve % | 50% (17/34) |
62% (13/21) | Points Won After Second Serve % | 33% (8/24) |
64% (7/11) | Break Point Conversion | 0% (0/3) |
31 | Winners | 12 |
15 | Unforced Errors | 31 |