‘The ultimate challenge’: Demon survives great Dane to set up blockbuster against Djokovic

Having ended the fairytale run of a Danish bolter, Alex de Minaur is preparing for what he described as “the ultimate challenge” when he tackles seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic at the All England Club on Monday.

A year after he was forced to forfeit a Wimbledon quarterfinal against the legend due to a hip injury, de Minaur has another shot against the all-time record breaker who has been in dazzling form this week. But the Aussie enters the match in strong form as well.

“It is exciting. These are the matches you want to be playing,” de Minaur said.

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The Australian ended the astonishing run of August Holmgren 6-4 7-6 (5) 6-3 in 2hr 21min on Saturday, but was challenged by the audacious shot making of the 27-year-old qualifier who is blessed with phenomenal power on both his serve and forehand.

The No.11 seed was able to survive a significant test deep in the second set after Holmgren raised an already high level further to retrieve a break to level with the Australian at 5-all before pumping winners throughout the tiebreaker.

de Minaur joins Jordan Thompson, who will play American star Taylor Fritz on the first match on Court 1 at 10pm AEST on Sunday, in the last 16. But there was less joy for 16th seed Daria Kasatkina, who fell 6-2 6-3 to powerful 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova.

Djokovic progressed to the last 16 by thrashing compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3 6-0 6-4 to set another landmark in his career. It was his 100th victory at Wimbledon, a feat only Roger Federer and Martina Navratilova have managed previously.

“It is very historic. It sounds very nice. I am very grateful and privileged to be in the position I am in,” Djokovic said.

“Tennis has given me incredibly things in life (and I’m) still going strong, still trying to compete with the young players, do some slides, do some splits on the court and push myself to the limit.”

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 05: Alex De Minaur of Australia greets August Holmgren of Denmark at the net following his victory during the Gentlemen's Singles third round match on day six of The Championships Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 05, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

The 38-year-old played at the upper-limits of his extraordinary talent when giving de Minaur a lesson when they first met at the Australian Open in 2023, a year after the Aussie commented on the Serbian’s deportation saga during the pandemic.

Playing at home in Sydney in a United Cup quarterfinal a year later, the 26-year-old managed to beat the all-time great in straight sets before Djokovic clinched a tight but scrappy affair at the Monte Carlo Masters 15 months ago.

As well as de Minaur, a former boys finalist at Wimbledon, plays on grass, he is well aware of the monumental challenge that awaits him.

“Obviously that first one we played was a whitewash. He was way too good and I had no answers for him,” de Minaur said.

“Then for me in my career, it was an incredible moment to be able to overcome that previous result and actually finish out on top, so that was a huge stepping stone in my career and my confidence levels because the feeling I had after that first time we played wasn’t great and I was able to overcome that.

“Now I’m getting to play him on one of his, if not, his favorite surface and his favourite tournament. So it’s going to be the ultimate challenge and I’m excited for it.”

The Australian was on a tear leading into the quarterfinal last year, only to injure a hip on the second last point of his Rd of 16 clash against exciting Frenchman Arthur Fils. He has been a prolific winner on tour this year and feels he is wiser for the pain he went through.

“I think there’s definitely two versions of myself. Last year was a version of myself which was very confident and ready to kind of take on the world. I just kind of got stopped in my tracks,” he said.

“I would say the version that I am right now is a lot wiser and I’ve lived through a lot more experiences. I’ve played a lot more big matches. I think I’m more prepared mentally going into this next match.

“Whilst maybe my level last year was very high, and it was kind of quite dangerous, I feel like this year mentally I’m in a really good place. I’m hoping that the game, the tennis, is going to come along.”

The sustained rehabilitation required to return from the hip problem as quickly as possible last season, along with a busy year in which de Minaur has won the third most matches on tour, led to a surprise early exit from Roland Garros in late May.

That prompted the hard-working Australian to take a quick break from playing, with de Minaur swapping his racquets for his golf clubs while enjoying some pub feeds in south-west London with his fiance Katie Boulter in the infancy of the grass season.

While he suffered an early exit at the Queen’s Club, the break appears to have done the trick, for de Minaur has been in strong touch throughout the first week at SW19.

“I needed a little mental reset so I could do my best to peak here at Wimbledon. This is, as you said, a second home slam. I want to do well, go deep and stay here for a long time,” he said.

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Not surprisingly Holmgren, who had never played a grand slam match prior to qualifying for Wimbledon, received a standing ovation led by de Minaur as he made a slow exit from Court 2 while signing autographs and posing for photographs with fans on Saturday

“Today was a very, very tough match and all credit to August. That was a hell of a match, a hell of a tournament. As for me, I am happy to be in the second week of Wimbledon again,” de Minaur said.

“I am very happy that I have a great team who gives me good tactics and prepares me for this match. He played some great stuff, some clutch tennis in big moments. Today was about battling myself and my opponent out there, so happy days.”

De Minaur did well to take down the “Viking”, a former college star in the United States who lists extreme hammocking as a hobby. Extreme what? For those unaware, the pursuit is an activity where enthusiasts suspend a hammock at high elevations, often between cliffs or canyons, to satisfy their adventurous natures.

It is one for the thrill seekers, those prepared to walk a tightrope. And that his how Holmgren plays his tennis as well. It was a white knuckle ride watching the Dane in action throughout the match as he lived and died on his heavy forehand. It was free-wheeling tennis.

Some of his shots from the wing were magnificent. Others ballooned wildly well behind the baseline. He found himself regularly under pressure on his own serve in the first set, but was able to find his way out of trouble with the booming delivery for three straight games.

But at some stage the dam wall had to break. The moment came in a marathon 18-point game at 4-all, with de Minaur finally seizing his first break when the San Diego University alumni netted a forehand.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 05: Katie Boulter of Great Britain watches in the crowd as Alex De Minaur of Australia defeats August Holmgren of Denmark during the Gentlemen's Singles third round match on day six of The Championships Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 05, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

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While the five-time grand slam quarterfinalist always appeared the more likely to prevail, the second set was similarly tight and came complete with a highlight reel that included a phenomenal point clinched by de Minaur in which he hit a tweener lob and diving volley.

Just as de Minaur looked set to ease his way to a two set lead after breaking at 4-all, his 192nd ranked played a ripper of a return game to level and then forced the play in a high-quality tiebreaker seized by the Aussie when the Dane double-faulted on set point.

Having survived three match points in the final round of qualifying before progressing to the high point of his career with a five set win over 21st seed Tomas Machac on Thursday, it was likely Holmgren would hit the wall at some stage.

That occurred when he again double-faulted on break point trailing 2-3 and from there de Minaur coasted to the the finish line.

Kasatkina, meanwhile, was overpowered by her younger rival and also lost a point in bizarre fashion to drop the opening game of the second set when her shirt got caught on her earring, which prevented her from being able to play the next shot in the rally.

The 28-year-old, who received permanent residency in Australia in March, will travel to Melbourne next week to spend time in her new home city before returning to North America to prepare for the hard court swing.

“I think (it is) the first time in my life I’m going to experience the Australian winter, not the summer,” she said.

“A training block to do there doesn’t make much sense, unfortunately — (I’m) only going there for a couple of days because the calendar is pretty tight — and then I’ll be back on the road.”

TOPSHOT - Australia's Alex De Minaur plays a forehand return to Denmark's August Holmgren during their men's singles third round tennis match on the sixth day of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 5, 2025. (Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE Source: AFP

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