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Tracy Austin responds when asked if she thinks Novak Djokovic would admit if he had an injury at Wimbledon

Originally posted on HITC | By Liam Llewellyn | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 8:40 AM ET

Novak Djokovic overcame some adversity to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the 16th time.

He made an emphatic start by taking the opening set against the former world number one for the loss of just one game.

Djokovic, who appeared to be struggling physically, soon settled down and clawed his way back into the match before sealing a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory.

Tracy Austin thinks Novak Djokovic would ‘never’ admit to having an injury

But the first set was a difficult one for the 38-year-old, who managed to claim just one game, and was seen undertaking yoga and breathing exercises, while also applying ice to his stomach.

Djokovic started to find his range and claimed sets two and three and despite trailing 4-1 in the fourth set, the sixth seed won five successive games to take victory against De Minaur.

Photo by Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images

Wimbledon commentator Tracy Austin assessed Djokovic’s performance and his physical struggles, and she shared some insight into the psychological battle between tennis players.

“You never admit something like that. You don’t,” Austin told BBC Sport regarding Djokovic’s injury. “To me, you don’t show any sign of weakness, and you want to kind of keep that as close to your chest as possible. You want to keep that aura.

“Aura in sports, aura in tennis counts for a lot. You know, the top players, it’s almost like they go out each set with a break-up. So I think he’s not going to show any vulnerability at all.”

Novak Djokovic praises Roger Federer who watched his Wimbledon fourth-round match

But on Monday the tournament’s most successful male champion Roger Federer and his wife Mirka were in attendance and watched Djokovic defeat De Minaur to reach the quarter-finals.

Post-match Djokovic reserved some time to acknowledge Federer and admitted it is the first time he has won a match with the Swiss Maestro in the audience.

“It’s probably the first time he’s watching me and I’ve won the match,” Djokovic said during his on-court interview. “In the last couple, I lost the match, so it’s good to break the curse.

“It’s great to have Roger here, a huge champion and someone I admired and respected a lot. We’ve shared the stage for so many years and it’s great to have him back in his most successful and favourite tournament, no doubt.”

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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