Novak Djokovic advances to the Australian Open 2024 fourth round, triumphing over Tomas Martín Etcheverry in straight sets with a commanding 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 victory. The Serbian, vying for his 11th Australian Open title, showcased superior baseline play and formidable forehands. The Serbian will next face the winner of Ben Shelton and Adrian Mannarino.
With this game, Djokovic became the third player in the history of the Australian Open to play 110 games, with Roger Federer and Serena Williams being the other ones. Speaking after the game on what keeps the World’s Number 1 motivated, Djokovic said,
“Well, I’ll try to keep this as short as possible. I’ve been blessed to go through an interesting life journey. Coming through Serbia during 90s wasn’t easy. For my family & my parents. They had to endure a lot of adversity economically in every sense for me to live my dream. To allow me to play the sport that was very expensive.”
“It still is for our country but at that time it was super expensive compared to other sports. I chose to play it & they did absolutely everything they possibly could to provide. I wasn’t travelling for a couple of years on my junior days because of a lack of resources, war, embargo, and a lot of different things. But at the end of the day when I reflect on the journey I’ve been through & we all went through as people of Serbia, it’s been an incredible blessing to be here. I’m very grateful for that.” he added.
Etcheverry struggled against Djokovic’s early dominance, evident in the sixth-game break of the first set. Looking ahead, Djokovic awaits the winner between Ben Shelton and Adrian Mannarino in the upcoming round as he continues his quest for a record-extending championship.
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