![](https://soccerforall24.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Novak-Djokovic.jpg)
breaking:Leading Djokovic advances to the Australian Open..
Leading Djokovic advances to the Australian Open final eight.
World No 1 drops just three games in win over Adrian Mannarino to match Roger Federer’s record of 58 grand slam quarter-finals..
It was hard to know if Adrian Mannarino was joking when, having reached the fourth round of the Australian Open for only the second time in his career with a hold-the-phone victory over Ben Shelton, he identified tequila as the secret to his longevity. After a 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 drubbing by Novak Djokovic, however, the 35-year-old Frenchman would hardly be human if he didn’t feel tempted to reach for the bottle.
Mannarino did not play badly; far from it. Few players have a more instinctive feel for the geometry of a tennis court than the mercurial southpaw, and his mastery of line and length meant the baseline exchanges were never less than competitive. Djokovic, however, was relentless, his physical and mental intensity off the charts as he refused to allow an opponent with a trio of five-set wins in his legs a moment’s respite.
By the time two sets had rolled by, Mannarino was reduced to incredulous laughter, miming his predicament to his team at the changeover as he made two circles with his fingers to form a pair of spectacles. Two games later, when he finally held serve for the first time to make a belated impression on the scoreboard, the Frenchman was afforded a rapturous ovation. Djokovic, meanwhile, was impassive – until Alison Hughes, the British chair umpire, started the shot clock before the din had died down, prompting a furious reaction from the 10-time champion.