When Novak Djokovic is in this sort of mood, it often seems like the only obstacle in his way is himself.
There was the bizarre default and disqualification at the US Open in 2020 when he accidentally struck a line judge in the throat with an errant ball; and the controversial deportation from Melbourne 12 months ago which denied him the opportunity to defend his Australian Open title.
Now? Well, a heavily-strapped thigh for a hamstring injury Djokovic deemed only “God and the physio” could help him with seems to be the biggest barrier between the Serb and what looks like an increasingly inevitable 10th title at Melbourne Park.
Because, if the fourth seed produces another performance anywhere close to the one he inflicted on Alex De Minaur in the fourth round on Monday, then the rest of the field may as well pack their racquets and move on to the next tournament.
Ominously, Djokovic said the hamstring problem that had been serious enough for him to contemplate withdrawing last week had subsided. “Tonight it wasn't obvious that I was dealing with an injury,” he said. “I didn't feel anything today, so today was great.”
That's not what the other seven remaining players wanted to hear, and if any of them tuned in to watch the evening match inside Rod Laver Arena on Monday, then Djokovic's devastating display was most certainly not what they would have wanted to see.
In front of a typically boisterous capacity crowd roaring on one of their own, Djokovic wasted no time in asserting his dominance, pulling De Minaur all over the court and making the Australian scramble from the get-go. The Australian world No 24 hung in there for the first four games but once Djokovic broke, it felt all but over.
So it proved as after just over two hours, Djokovic wrapped up a 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 victory that was every bit as one-sided as the score suggests, and after a near-perfect performance, the only visual evidence of an injury was the white bandage underneath his shorts.
“I thank my medical team, physio, God – anybody that really helped me. I keep on going,” said Djokovic, who extended his win streak in Melbourne to 25 matches, only one behind Andre Agassi's record.
“I was feeling very good in the first match [in Melbourne], in the second match not so great, so I know things can change really quickly and I don't take things for granted.
“But I'm really pleased with the way I played today, the way I moved, the way I hit the ball. I played the best match of this year so far.”
Djokovic, 35, will now compete in his 54th Grand Slam quarter-final – second only to Roger Federer's 58 – where he will take on fifth seed Andrey Rublev after the Russian came through a titanic five-set tussle with rising star Holger Rune.
It will also be his 13th quarter-final at the Australian Open, placing him fourth on the all-time list behind Federer, Rafael Nadal and John Newcombe.
After being on the receiving end of a masterclass, De Minaur was left in no doubt about the destination of the Norman Brooks Challenge Cup.
“I came up against a very good opponent with a very high level today,” he said. “What I experienced today was probably Novak very close to his best, I would say. To me, if that's the level, he's definitely the guy that's going to take the title.”
In Monday's other quarter-finals, American Ben Shelton continued his dream run at his first major by defeating compatriot JJ Wolf 6-7, 6-2, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, while Tommy Paul became the third player from the United States through to the last eight with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 win over Spanish 24th seed Roberto Bautista Agut.
Tuesday's quarter-final matches see Russian 18th seed Karen Khachanov take on American 29th seed Sebastian Korda, before Greek third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas continues his bid for a maiden Grand Slam title against the Czech Republic's Jiri Lehecka.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
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More coverage from the Future Forum
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
FA Cup semi-finals
Saturday: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, 8.15pm (UAE)
Sunday: Chelsea v Southampton, 6pm (UAE)
Matches on Bein Sports
Haemoglobin disorders explained
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Champions League Last 16
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)
Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
2019 Asian Cup final
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
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