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Novak Djokovic reacts to Virat Kohli’s stunned Centre Court applause after ‘gladiator’ act in Wimbledon win vs De Minaur
Virat Kohli, among star guests at Wimbledon, was left awestruck by Novak Djokovic’s gritty comeback win over De Minaur in a thrilling Centre Court clash.
It was a star-studded Centre Court on Monday as Novak Djokovic beat Alex de Minaur to reach the quarterfinals of Wimbledon 2025. Eight-time champion Roger Federer led the list of celebrity attendees, joined by cricketing greats Joe Root, James Anderson, and former India captain Virat Kohli, who was present with his wife, Anushka Sharma.
Kohli was left awestruck by Djokovic's ‘gladiator’ act, as the Serb mounted two comebacks in the round-of-16 clash. The Aussie had looked in complete control early on, winning the first set 6-1. But the No. 6 seed roared back to move within one set of victory. De Minaur then threatened a decider by storming to a 4-1 lead in the fourth, only to lose five games in a row.
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"What a win! It was business as usual for the gladiator," Kohli later wrote as he shared a moment from Djokovic's win as an Instagram story. And the former world No. 1 reacted with a four-word message. "Thank you for supporting," it read as he shared it on his social media handle.
Fresh from his 100th win at Wimbledon on Saturday - making him the third player to achieve that feat after Martina Navratilova and Federer - Djokovic kept his eyes on the record 25th major title, that could see him breaking a tie with the long-retired Margaret Court, and a record-equalling eighth men's crown at the All England Club. The victory could also make him the oldest Grand Slam winner in the Open Era.
"It wasn't a great start for me, it was a great start for Alex de Minaur obviously. I kind of reset myself in the second set," Djokovic said. "I was very pleased to hang in tough in the right moments and win this one."
But Djokovic still has the Jannik Sinner threat looming large, with a possible semifinal clash on the cards. The Italian, however, survived a scare late Monday night in London when Grigor Dimitrov retired with an injury after winning the first two sets in their round of 16 clash.
Sinner will next face No. 10 seed Ben Shelton, who beat Italy's Lorenzo Sonego 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/1), 7-5 to reach his first Wimbledon quarterfinal, while Djokovic will take on 22nd seed Flavio Cobolli, who beat former Wimbledon runner-up Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/3).
