Novak Djokovic showed nerves of steel in the face of a serving masterclass from Hubert Hurkacz to take a two-set lead against the 17th seed in the fourth round of Wimbledon.
Both men headed into the last-16 clash yet to drop a set in the tournament and there was no quarter given in the opener under the Centre Court lights and roof on Sunday evening.
A double fault from Djokovic allowed Hurkacz to open up a 6-3 lead in the first set tie-break, only for all three set points to pass him by. The last of those and the only one on his own herculean serve may haunt the 26-year-old as he charged in to plant a routine forehand into the net.
Djokovic then showed his peerless class to reel off five consecutive points. Hurkacz, who sent down the fastest serve of the Championships so far at 141 mph, regained his composure and saw off three break points in the eighth game of the second set.
Again the door opened in the tie-break as Hurkacz led 5-4 prior to two service points, only to produce another unforced error at a ghastly time. Once again. Djokovic offered no second chances.
They will resume on Monday, with Hurkacz knowing he could not have played much better on Sunday. Nevertheless, as with most Djokovic opponents at the moment, he needs a miracle.
To be continued...
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2023
Novak Djokovic and Hubert Hurkacz will return tomorrow with the Serbian leading 2-0 in sets#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/wnCw8x26Dw
MORE: Tennis' top grand slam winners of all-time: Who has won the most titles?
Novak Djokovic vs. Hubert Hurkacz live score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic (2) | 7 (8) | 7 (8) | |||
| Hubert Hurkacz (17) | 6 (6) | 6 (6) |
Novak Djokovic vs. Hubert Hurkacz live updates, highlights from Wimbledon 2023
*Denotes server
Novak Djokovic 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (8-6) Hubert Hurkacz (8-6) — TIE-BREAK. DJOKOVIC GOES 2-0 UP!
Hurkacz blazes a forehand wide. He's played well, served majestically and had chances in both breakers. And yet, here he is two sets down against the man, the machine and the phenomenon that is Novak Djokovic. That'll be that for he day as we're lights out in 25 minutes. We'll see you back here tomorrow!
Novak Djokovic 7-6 (8-6) 6-6 Hubert Hurkacz (7-6) — TIE-BREAK
First set point saved! An extraordinary rally. Hurkacz hangs in there and tells Djokovic he's going to have to win the set. A duff bounce near the baseline does for champion and Centre Court rises. Djokovic will have his second set point on the Hurkacz serve.
Novak Djokovic 7-6 (8-6) 6-6 Hubert Hurkacz (6-5) — TIE-BREAK
History repeats for Hurkacz as he ploughs an unforced error into the net. And you can't do that against this man because of the magic that follows. Hurkacz does little wrong, is into the net but Djokovic has him on length of string and has a point on serve.
Novak Djokovic 7-6 (8-6) 6-6 Hubert Hurkacz (4-5) — TIE-BREAK
Hurkacz comes across another backhand slice beautifully, he's really got that shot working. Djokovic can only net and it's 3-3. An untimely fault. Djokovic climbs into the second serve, Hurkacz plonks a shot into the middle of the court and the champion thumps into the net. That's horrible by his or anyone's standards. Ohhhh, Hurkacz pushes Djokovic back with a brilliant backhand return on a second serve. He's 5-4 up with two serve to come to make it one set all.
Novak Djokovic 7-6 (8-6) 6-6 Hubert Hurkacz (2-2) — TIE-BREAK
Oh, Huburt. Mate, you can't be sending volleys like that wide. An early 2-0 lead for Djokovic, but Hurkacaz nails a backhand to claw the mini-break back.
Novak Djokovic 7-6 (8-6) 6-5 Hubert Hurkacz*
Bang. 15-0. Thwack 30-0. Hang on, a double fault. Not a nice one to have in the short-term memory if there's another breaker on the way. Hurkacz needs two points to get there yet. Another fault. He wasn't great the last time he saw a finishing line in this match. Djokovic goes long with the forehand. Two game points. Wonderful return from Djokovic, down at the toes of his incoming opponent, who sends the backhand long... or does he? Hawkeye says not, but he didn't challenge it.
Uh, oh. Now a double fault. If the wheels aren't coming off here, Hurkacz has lost a screw or two. That's big, an excellent second serve at deuce. An ace? Djoko challenges and it's out! Hurkacz gets out of the game and we're into a second tie-break but Djokovic will be smelling blood after all that.
*Novak Djokovic 7-6 (8-6) 6-5 Hubert Hurkacz
It's getting hard to remember when there was a point against serve. Hurkacz even tried a ridiculous challenge to get one just then. Foiled by technology. It feels like there will be no margin for error in the pending breaker, which is an unenviable position when you're one set down having played largely very well against Novak Djokovic.
Novak Djokovic 7-6 (8-6) 5-5 Hubert Hurkacz*
Hurkacz follows with a love hold of his own. We're hurtling towards another tie-break.
*Novak Djokovic 7-6 (8-6) 5-4 Hubert Hurkacz
Djokovic could have been serving for the set here. He expresses his disappointment by holding to love and unfurling some of the repertoire.
Novak Djokovic 7-6 (8-6) 4-4 Hubert Hurkacz*
Djokovic draws Hurkacz into the net and pulls off the backhand passing shot. Now a fault at 0-30 and a pretty silly challenge. It was comfortably long. We're on the baseline, this is Djokovic's house and he toys with Hurkacz, dragging him from side to side before an emphatic winner from the 18th shot of the rally. Three break points for the champion. The first is repelled with an ace out wide. Great compsure from the pole, who is back to deuce in the blink of an eye. Oh, but that's slack and it's advantage Novak. Let, first service. How are the nerves?
Drama!!! A big backhand volley at the net from Hurkacz, Djokovic makes him play again. This one goes skywards, Novak charges in but falls into the net trying to get the job done. Duece again! Hurkacz gets back onto that monster serve and finishes the job with an ace. That's a huge and gutsy escape and one that might prevent Djokovic from finishing matters tonight.
Mind the net @DjokerNole 😅#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/p8uCdnGCFx
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2023
*Novak Djokovic 7-6 (8-6) 4-3 Hubert Hurkacz
It must be maddening to play this bloke. Hurkacz pulls off an excellent sliced backhand cross-court. It'd win a point against most players but Djokovic punches one down the line and another game flies by.
Novak Djokovic 7-6 (8-6) 3-3 Hubert Hurkacz*
Hurkacz throws in his first double to slip to 30-30. Obviously a glitch in the machine because an ace that Djokovic doesn't smell follows. Yep, and there's another.
*Novak Djokovic 7-6 (8-6) 3-2 Hubert Hurkacz
They exchange points at the start of this one. Hurkacz looks to be in a good place with a sliced backhand down the line but Djokovic works wonders at the net. He slams the door shoot another couple of times for good measure.
Novak Djokovic 7-6 (8-6) 2-2 Hubert Hurkacz*
Problems for Hurkacz. 0-30 and a fault. Djokovic goes long with his backhand return and is cranky about it. The radar is back on, Djokovic can only return into the net at full stretch 30-30. Djokovic gets in behind a second serve, the return is to Hurkacz's toes. Rallies like his are not where he needs to be, he nets backhand and Djokovic has a break point. Bang on the money, straight down the middle averts the danger and Hurkacz gets out of the game.
*Novak Djokovic 7-6 (8-6) 1-2 Hubert Hurkacz
Some smart work from Hurkacz gets us to 30-30 before Djokovic demonstrates there's two guys out here who can deal in clutch aces. A long return and the chance - or, more accurately, the suggestion that there might possibly, sort of be a chance - goes awry.
Novak Djokovic 7-6 (8-6) 1-1 Hubert Hurkacz*
The initial signs are that his head has cleared. The 26-year-old completes an authoritative hold to love.
*Novak Djokovic 7-6 (8-6) 1-0 Hubert Hurkacz
Djokovic holds to 15 and looks in the mood to drive home his advantage. A huge test for Hurkucz now, who lost give points in a row from 6-3 in that breaker.
Novak Djokovic 7-6 Hubert Hurkacz (8-6) — TIE-BREAK. DJOKOVIC WINS FIRST SET!
Now a backhand into the net! Oh Hubert what have you done? Set point Djokovic. Fault, but the return from the second serve is long. Did Djokovic's aura win that set? To an extent it feels like he burgled it.
It's what he does 😤@DjokerNole saves three set points to claim the tie-break, 7-6(6)#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/ORo8xwszKC
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2023
Novak Djokovic 6-6 Hubert Hurkacz (6-6) — TIE-BREAK
Hurkacz blows a huge chance to take the set! Djokovic gets the serve back over, Hurkacz charges in, his eyes light up and he clatters scruffily in the net cord.
Novak Djokovic 6-6 Hubert Hurkacz (5-6) — TIE-BREAK
Another Djokovic fault but Hurkacz sends his first set point into the net. Djokovic finds the mark this time and his opponent can't return. Now then, another missile to seal the set?
Novak Djokovic 6-6 Hubert Hurkacz (3-6) — TIE-BREAK
Wallop, a couple of mighty aces and what a time to pull them out of the bag. Hurkacz will have three set points...
Novak Djokovic 6-6 Hubert Hurkacz (3-4) — TIE-BREAK
Fault from Novak at 3-3. And a double! 4-3 to Hurkacz on serve and a big chance here.
Novak Djokovic 6-6 Hubert Hurkacz (2-3) — TIE-BREAK
The opening five points go with serve, as you might have expected. Hurkacz bashes down an ace to go 3-2 up.
*Novak Djokovic 6-6 Hubert Hurkacz
Nah, you don't get a psychological advantage going into tie-break with Djokovic that easily. The 23-time Grand Slam winner plays irresistible to hold to love. That said, it feels like anyone's breaker the way they're both playing.
Novak Djokovic 5-6 Hubert Hurkacz*
We're back to blink-and-miss-it service activity from Hurkacz, who will have at least a tie-break to show for his formidable efforts here.
*Novak Djokovic 5-5 Hubert Hurkacz
After a service exhibition, Djokovic throws in a double fault. It's 30-30 and Hurkacz is two point from the set. The champion backs his man up and then wins the point with a deft backhand touch. Oh, that's a shoddy forehand. Djokovic snatches at it, nets it and it's deuce. Hurkacz goes for an ambitious pass down the line that never really looked likely, but he's got to throw the kitchen sink at any half chance. Advantage Djokovic, the return is long and on we go. Things from either man to encourage the other in those past couple of games, though.
Novak Djokovic 4-5 Hubert Hurkacz*
Djokovic reaps the rewards of getting a 135 mph monster back to within a foot of the baseline. Some back-of-the-court jousting ensues and Hurkacz goes long. A fault, a rally and another misjudged forehand. 0-30 and an opening for Djokovic. A couple of great serves and volleys to back them up get Hurkacz out of the woods. He then miscues one in mid-court into the stands. The boy who catches it is delighted, the giant Pole less so. Deuce. No messing, the No. 17 seed passes his first big test on serve emphatically, concluding matters with the fastest serve of the Championships so far. 141 mph. Wheels on that!
*Novak Djokovic 4-4 Hubert Hurkacz
A Djokovic second serve at 0-15 but he pulls a cool 113 mph effort out of the bag to steady the ship. A cute point for 40-15 sees him toying with Hurkacz and we continue to proceed at a rapid pace.
Novak Djokovic 3-4 Hubert Hurkacz*
There's a baseline rally and Hurkacz prevails, taking a forehand early and crunching it emphatically down the line. An overhead smash is then dispatched in the sort of fashion you'd expect from a hulking 6ft 5ins competitor. Game to love. Woof!
*Novak Djokovic 3-3 Hubert Hurkacz
The big development in Djokovic's game in this stage of his career has been a bulletproof serve. Coach Goran Ivanisevic gets a fair bit of the credit for that. He holds to love again. You'd think Hurkacz is in trouble here if Djokovic can draw him into rallies. We haven't really seen one of those yet.
Novak Djokovic 2-3 Hubert Hurkacz*
Ooh, 0-15. Hurkacz resets and sends a precision serve out to the backhand side that a stretching Djokovic can only net. Djokovic gets into the rally at 30-15 but goes long on the forehand and bats a ball away in frustration. Careful, Novak, we don't want another US Open-style snafu, do we?
*Novak Djokovic 2-2 Hubert Hurkacz
A beautiful backhand cross-court from Djokovic makes Hurkacz look ungainly for the first time. His bungled attempt to slide on the grass didn't really help. It's another hold to love.
Novak Djokovic 1-2 Hubert Hurkacz*
A 135 mph serve from Hurkacz helps him to 40-15 but Djokovic isn't about to let him out of the game easily. 40-30. Oh, and that's lovely from Hurkacz. He hits a brutal backhand down the line and then comes into the net to delicately finish things off.
*Novak Djokovic 1-1 Hubert Hurkacz
A non-nonsense hold from Djokovic. Both men seem keenly aware that they only have a couple of hours to get a result tonight. No messing about.
Novak Djokovic 0-1 Hubert Hurkacz*
Hurkacz gets us underway and that's very tidy stuff. He's an imposing figure on court, huge wingspan. A precision forehand down the line leaves Djokovic scrambling to get the ball back and he closes out a hold to 15 with some no-nonsense play at the net.
8:45 p.m. GMT/ 3:45 p.m. ET: Djokovic and Hurkacz are going through their warmups. They're the last singles game on court today and they can play until 11 p.m. local time.
8:10 p.m. GMT/ 3:10 p.m. ET: IGA SWIATEK BEATS BELINDA BENCIC 6-7 7-6 6-3! The world No.1 comes though a huge test. Bencic was brilliant for large parts of that but Swiatek's unbending will got her through. Djokovic and Hurkacz will be with us shortly.
8:10 p.m. GMT/ 3:10 p.m. ET: Like most men who've spent time on court with Djokovic, Hurkacz's head-to-head with the Serbian makes for grim reading. He's played five, lost five against Novak. They met in the third round at Wimbledon in 2019, where Hurkacz did manage to win a second set tie-break. That followed a straight sets first-round win for Novak at Roland-Garros in the same year.
At the Paris Masters in 2021, Hurkacz won the first set. Djokovic responded by bagel-ing him to pull level. The Pole did not win a set in two subsequent meetings.
7:45 p.m. GMT/ 2:45 p.m. ET: Swiatek pulled it out of the fire with a superb breaker and she and Bencic are going the distance. It means Djokovic and Hurkacz are realistically still an hour or so away. Grab yourselves a drink, maybe a Pimm's as it's Wimbledon. Actually, I will be having some strawberries and cream because my daughter went to a strawberry festival earlier today and came back with a mighty haul.
7:25 p.m. GMT/ 2:25 p.m. ET: Incredible scenes on Centre. Following our previous update, Bencic duly broke back and Swiatek has just saved two match points on her own serve! We might be heading to a second-set tie-break...
6:55 p.m. GMT/ 1:55 p.m. ET: It feels like Bencic taking that first set might have irritated Swiatek, who duly took an early break in the second. She's 3-1 ahead at the moment. If that one goes the distance it might well mean an evening under the Centre Court roof for Djokovic and Hurkacz.
6:35 p.m. GMT/ 1:35 p.m. ET: Djokovic and Hurkacz will be on court after the women's last-16 encounter between Iga Swiatek and Belinda Bencic concludes. And there could be a sensation brewing there, with Bencic having stunned the world No1 by saving six break points before running away with a first set tie-break.
In command. 💪
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2023
Belinda Bencic takes the first set against No.1 seed Iga Swiatek 7-6(4)#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/y9h1NbdMG2
6:15 p.m GMT/ 1:15 p.m ET: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' coverage of Novak Djokovic vs Hubert Hurkacz in the fourth round of Wimbledon.
Reigning champion Djokovic has been in imperious form so far as he searches for a record-equalling eighth title at SW19. Hurkacz looks set to be his biggest test yet. The big-serving 17th seed is yet to drop a set in the tournament and holds the distinction of being the last player to beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon.
How to watch Novak Djokovic vs. Hubert Hurkacz at Wimbledon 2023 in Australia
The 2023 edition of Wimbledon is being broadcast live and free by Nine. The action is being shown on either Channel 9 or their secondary channel 9Gem, depending on the session and time.
Every match of Wimbledon 2023 can be live-streamed in Australia on paid subscription service Stan Sport. Selected matches are available in 4K.
Fans can also stream the action for free via 9Now, which shows the standard free-to-air broadcast.
MORE: Undesirable No.1: Why Novak Djokovic is the GOAT of men's tennis, whether you like it or not
How to watch Novak Djokovic vs. Hubert Hurkacz at Wimbledon 2023 in USA
Wimbledon matches will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks in the United States. There are several ways to live stream the tournament: ESPN+, the ESPN app, or Fubo, which offers a free trial.
How to watch Novak Djokovic vs. Hubert Hurkacz at Wimbledon 2023 in the UK
Wimbledon remains available to watch on free-to-air television in the United Kingdom. Live matches will air on BBC One, BBC Two and the BBC Red Button. Viewers can also choose up to 18 courts to watch through their smart TVs and also on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app.
Wimbledon is also shown on Eurosport to UK viewers. Eurosport will broadcast the Championships every day on Eurosport 1 daily and then via highlights. Coverage will be available on the Discovery + streaming platform and on Eurosport online, too.