Novak Djokovic overcame an uncharacteristically unsteady start to avoid what would have been his earliest exit at Wimbledon since 2016, coming through for a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory over 11th-seeded Alex de Minaur in the fourth round.

The match started with one of the poorest sets the Serbian star has ever played and turned into an absorbing war of attrition as the Australian went “toe-to-toe with one of the greats”.

Alex de Minaur wowed the tennis world as he went agonisingly close to sending Novak Djokovic crashing out of Wimbledon. But at the end of the day it was another case of near enough not being good enough for the Aussie tennis player.