‘Fire still burns’

Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates a point at Melbourne Park yesterday. Pic/Getty Images

Novak Djokovic said the fire "is still burning" after outclassing Adrian Mannarino to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and stay on track for a record 25th Grand Slam title.

Tension at Rod Laver Arena

The Serbian on Sunday ran rings around his French opponent on Rod Laver Arena, winning 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 to underline his status as red-hot favourite to lift an 11th title at Melbourne Park. "I really wanted to lose that game in the third set because the tension was building up so much in the stadium," he said, referring to the possibility of completing a rare "triple bagel".

"I just needed to get that out of the way and re-focus."

Also Read: Smooth Djokovic glides into last 16 at Australian Open

The World No. 1, who said he had "executed perfectly", is into the last eight of a Grand Slam for the 58th time, equalling Roger Federer's men's record as he maintains an iron grip on the game. He has now won 32 consecutive matches at the tournament, not tasting defeat since he lost to South Korea's Chung Hyeon in 2018. The 10-time champion did not compete in 2022 due to his coronavirus vaccination status.

Djokovic said he thought there would be less stress around practice and matches this season but admitted the intensity was as fierce as ever even though he is now 36.

"It's still there. The fire is still burning. I think that's what allowed me to be where I am and achieve the things that I have achieved."

Mannarino, 35, has enjoyed a late-career resurgence, winning three titles last year, at Newport, Astana and Sofia. But he was made to look ordinary by the top seed, who never took his foot off the pedal. Djokovic won the first 13 games and looked a good bet to complete a clean sweep. Djokovic said a hunger to break even more records and win more majors still drives him, as well as his love for the game. "I feel while being number one and still on top of the game, I don't feel like leaving tennis in that position," he said. "I feel like I want to keep on going."

Rublev through

Meanwhile, fifth seed Andrey Rublev tamed a battling Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-0 to shatter home hopes and make his second successive quarter-final.

In another match, Barbora Krejcikova ended the dream run of 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva to set up a quarter-final against defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.

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