One of the many eccentricities of Adrian Mannarino is the Frenchman’s refusal to learn the identity of his next opponent for as long as he can hold out. To him, it is unnecessary information that only creates more tension, and so before each match he works hard to keep that knowledge at bay.
It is not easy. In Melbourne he found out his second-round opponent when his driver wished him luck against Jaume Munar. Before another contest, he was just checking the time of a friend’s match when he received a surprise: “Actually watching the screen, I saw my match,” he said. “I was like: ‘Wow, now I know.’”
Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, knew exactly who he was playing long before they entered Rod Laver Arena on Sunday afternoon and prepared meticulously for the challenge, determined, as always, to eke out the 1% that could make the difference. What followed was a complete mismatch as Djokovic demolished Mannarino 6-0, 6-0, 6-3, producing his best match of the tournament to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
Djokovic will now contest his 58th grand slam quarter-final, equalling Roger Federer’s record. With 14 quarter-finals in Australia, Djokovic has also equalled Rafael Nadal and John Newcombe as joint second highest at this tournament. His winning run at the Australian Open now stands at 32 matches and counting.
Most importantly, after starting the tournament still searching for his form and then struggling in the opening two rounds, the win was easily Djokovic’s most impressive and provided further evidence that his level is rising. “Today was the best day in terms of tennis, the way I felt on the court. I’m really excited to enter the second week,” Djokovic said.
Mannarino entered Rod Laver Arena having spent nearly 12 hours on court across three rounds, with three consecutive five-set wins. At 35 years old, he is playing the best tennis of his career. His style is unique, with incredibly short, abbreviated groundstrokes that make him difficult to anticipate and read, but which he uses to redirect his opponents’ strengths. He pairs his ability to act as a sponge with ample variety and court craft.
But those assets are simply not enough against Djokovic. When Mannarino tried to play far out of his comfort zone, taking the ball early and trying to set the tempo, Djokovic’s supreme defence inevitably elicited errors. Djokovic also served extremely well in the decisive moments and easily picked Mannarino’s defence apart whenever he wished. In the countless lengthy, cat-and-mouse points, the pair moved each other around all parts of the court, but it was Djokovic who constantly triumphed.
The first set fell Djokovic’s way in 33 minutes, then the second followed in 34. As Mannarino sat back in his seat without a game to his name in two sets, he put his fingers into the shape of 0s and held them up to his eyes before laughing hysterically towards his support team. With the result all but decided, the crowd amused itself by cheering raucously for a single game. At times Djokovic took the bait and he gestured back.
“The tension in the third set, it was so big, whether he’s going to win a game or not,” Djokovic said. “[The] crowd wanted him to win a game and be in the match. I almost felt like it’s good to give away the game, just to be able to reset and refocus because the tension is growing as the match progresses without him winning a game. I think, of course, it’s tough for him, but also for me to be able to not think about that, not think about the triple bagel.”
Mannarino burst into laughter as he finally took his first game at the beginning of the third set, but the laughter did not last. Djokovic rolled through the set to reach the quarter-finals where he will face Taylor Fritz, the 12th seed, who outplayed the No 7 seed, Stefanos Tsitsipas, to reach the last eight with a 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 win.
Djokovic has an 8-0 record against Fritz and has won seven of those in straight sets. The one time Fritz did push him, however, they battled for five dramatic sets at the Australian Open in 2021.
“I think a lot of these match-ups are from when I was a bit younger,” Fritz said. “Since I’ve improved, become a better player, the times I’ve played him since I just haven’t brought my best level and you need it when you compete with someone like Novak. Gonna have to serve like I did today but I feel confident if I play like I did today, then I have a chance.”
