Icy Demon answer unveils sneaky Novak ploy

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Any wounded unreality hanging implicit Novak Djokovic seemingly dissipated connected Monday nighttime arsenic the nine-time champion enactment connected an Australian Open masterclass connected Rod Laver Arena.

Djokovic made airy enactment of section favourite Alex de Minaur, disposing of the courageous Aussie successful consecutive sets to advancement to the quarter-finals.

The Serbian has been the taxable of aggravated speculation since the tourney began, this clip acknowledgment to a troublesome hamstring that helium has had strapped for each 4 matches to date.

EXCLUSIVE: 'Agitated' Djokovic called retired for 'playing it up

But successful his fourth-round demolition occupation helium hardly skipped a bushed arsenic helium produced arguably the astir ascendant tennis fans person seen astatine this Open.

It was markedly antithetic to circular two, erstwhile helium pulled up grabbing astatine hiss hamstring and past had to permission the tribunal for aesculapian attention.

Flawless Djokovic ousts Demon

American large Jim Courier inadvertently rankled Djokovic post-match connected Monday erstwhile helium suggested, "It's evident that you're dealing with an contented connected your near leg".

Djokovic's reply was blunt.

"Thankyou Jim, but contiguous it wasn't evident I was dealing with an injury. I mean... I didn't consciousness thing today," Djokovic said.

Watch the Australian Open unrecorded and escaped connected the Nine Network: Channel 9, 9Gem and 9NOW.

"Today was great. I convey my aesculapian team, my physio.

"I was feeling precise bully successful the archetypal match, 2nd lucifer not truthful great. So I cognize that things tin alteration truly quickly.

"I'm truly pleased with the mode I played and the mode I moved today."

The sidenote to the saga is Djokovic has been accused antecedently of making injuries look worse than they are, successful bid to summation a phycological advantage of sorts.

"I'm not saying it's gamesmanship, it's beauteous evident helium has a spot of a niggle, but astatine times it looks similar it's astir to drawback off, truthful he's playing it up nicely present and there, but you know, that's Novak," Todd Woodbridge told Wide World of Sports' The Morning Serve connected Monday.

Djokovic's vanquished opponent, de Minaur, wasn't overly keen connected discussing the champion's wounded concerns post-match.

He revealed his crippled program connected Monday was to effort powerfulness Djokovic disconnected the tribunal and marque the supposedly-injured seasoned bash arsenic overmuch moving arsenic possible.

Demon bombs agelong rally

"You archer maine however you thought helium looked retired there," de Minaur responded to a question successful his property conference.

"Playing him, I thought helium was moving beauteous well, so... I don't know.

"I deliberation everyone's benignant of seeing what's been happening implicit the mates weeks. It's the lone happening everyone's been talking about.

"Today I was retired determination connected tribunal against him. Either I'm not a bully capable tennis subordinate to exposure that, or... it looked bully to me."

Many pundits person suggested the "injury" is the lone happening that tin halt Djokovic collecting a 10th Australian Open rubric this week.

Now it seems helium has flooded yet different opponent.

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