In the moments before Novak Djokovic stepped on to Rod Laver Arena on Monday night, as he went through his final warm-up exercises in the tunnel underneath the stadium, the eyes of all onlookers rested firmly on his left thigh. How would his hamstring, still wrapped in layers of tape, hold up under the strain of at least three more sets.
Two hours later, the level Djokovic exhibited in his domination of the home favourite Alex de Minaur made it clear he remains the heavy favourite to win his 10th Australian Open title. The fourth seed returned to the quarter-finals after a clean, ruthless performance, completely dismantling his opponent, the 22nd seed, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2.
