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Djokovic put through the wringer

Wimbledon: Novak Djokovic is a saint on court. Up against Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon, the Serbian top seed had to say more than a few prayers before winning in five sets (5-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2).

It was one hell of a roller coaster ride at Centre Court on Tuesday for Djokovic, the defending champion. There are times when even the man equipped with the best skill set steps on court and forgets what he has to do. Well, Djokovic looked confused for the first two sets. It had the crowd and billions of fans watching the match world over guessing if a big upset was on the cards.

No.

Djokovic, who possesses a body as beautiful as a chiselled out masterpiece, showed that he was mentally very much in the match. He knew he had the support of the crowd and also his own game. He cranked up his game.

For someone who looked like an imposter, soon Djokovic started resembling the hard champion we know. There was no emotion on his face. It was straight dead pan. Deep down, he was burning. Wanting to change the pattern of play, as well as the script.

Pronto. In the third set and the fourth set, one saw the Djokovic of the past. Passion, aggression and feel with the racquet, covering the court with elan and poise. He realised he had to move Sinner around, which worked. At one stage towards the end of the fourth set, Sinner ran fast towards the net, twisted his ankle and fell.

Djokovic walked up to him. He was concerned, as any injury on grass can be painful.

In the final set, Djokovic faced no problems. All that he had to do was keep chipping away. For his part, Sinner seemed to have run out of ideas and merely hung in there without a Plan B.

Rafael Nadal kept his rock and roll act going as the second seed overpowered Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (10/8) to enter the men's singles quarter-finals on Monday night. The Spaniard runs into Talyor Fritz on Wednesday, a match where sparks are expected to fly.

The scoreline might suggest Nadal was on song. However, against the Dutchman, playing at a level which was as best as he could, Nadal needed a fourth match-point to seal victory.

Winner of the Australian Open and the French Open in 2022, Nadal has ensured he gets most of the mileage these days in tennis. At 36, his body is bruised and battered, and he is facing more fitness issues than before.

However, he makes up for all those problems with a professional approach and not talking about his own travails. To be sure, Nadal has hardly been tested this fortnight on the famous lawns of Wimbledon. But then, the two-time champions knows the entire focus of the world is on him.

He does no wrong and he wants to do no wrong, as he is chasing a giant slice of history. Having won two Majors in 2022, for Nadal to have made the journey to Wimbledon is itself an achievement. He has been troubled by pain in his left foot. Recent treatment has alleviated the pain, yet for a body which has undergone huge wear and tear, to come out firing against the younger players is a tribute to his professionalism and hunger.

"I am happy to be back in the quarter-finals (at Wimbledon)m after three years without playing. It's a positive result for me, so I am happy for that," said Nadal.

Talking about his journey on grass, Nadal talked of how much this tournamnt means to him. "I did I think a big effort to be here. (It) takes a lot of mental and physical effort to try to play this tournament after the things that I went through the last couple of months. But everybody knows I like Wimbledon so much. That's why I am back," said Nadal.

His answers at press conferences are sometimes littered with a 'no' at the end. It's not as if he is asking a question, but a mannerism of someone who is so articulate on the tennis court but speaks with humbleness to the media. He talks of improving his tennis, even now -- forehand, backhand and slice.

When he talks of his mobility receding in recent years, Nadal is quick to point out how he makes adjustments. "Of course, I am running less than before, that's obvious. When I am losing things in terms of physical performance, you need to add things to keep being competitive. That's what I did all my career," says the man who owns 22 Grand Slam titles.

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