MELBOURNE, Australia — Achieving yet another record at the Australian Open put Novak Djokovic in a reflective mood.
That led to him revealing how he thought things might change after he clinched that historic 24th major singles championship at the U.S. Open last September.
Turns out his ambition remains as strong as ever. His tennis game is doing just fine, too.
Djokovic played his best two sets "in a while" in a 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 demolition of Adrian Mannarino on Sunday at Melbourne Park to reach the quarterfinals at a major tournament for the 58th time, equaling Roger Federer's Grand Slam record.
It's the 14th time Djokovic has been among the last eight at the Australian Open, where his conversion rate is incredible: In his previous 13 such runs, he has gone on to win 10 titles.
"I thought maybe I would this year feel slightly more relaxed, for lack of better term, or maybe less tension, less stress on practice sessions, matches," he said. "But it's not. It is as it always was: very high intensity."
The 36-year-old Serbian is meticulous in his planning and preparation and has had unprecedented success at the Grand Slam events in the Open era. Even with his 24 major singles titles, two more than any man in history, he said he can't relax and just enjoy it.
"You can see it even today. I was 6-love, 2-love up. It was a long game, and I was like going on with discussions, heated discussions, with my box. The fire is still burning," he said, adding that he continues to play not "because I need more money, or I need more points or whatever. I just want to play. I really enjoy the competition."
His quarterfinal match will be against No. 12-ranked Taylor Fritz, a 26-year-old American who is this far in Australia for the first time after winning 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 win over 2023 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Fritz and Tsitsipas were still on court when Djokovic, having already advanced, was asked in a news conference about both as potential opponents and said he was confident if he played to his level.
No surprise to Fritz, who is 0-8 against Djokovic.
"I mean, if I beat someone eight times in a row, I'd be pretty confident playing them, too; I can't really fault him for that," Fritz said, before adding that he was also improving, noting he was coming off his first win over a top-10 player at a Grand Slam.
"I think that I have a lot more level to bring than I've previously brought against him. Hopefully I can play another match like today," added Fritz, who has never been beyond the quarterfinals at any major.
For Djokovic, it was a rare day session. He said it's no secret he prefers the 7 p.m. start, but if the scoreline was any reflection of how he played in the daylight, he was content. He dropped sets in his first two rounds while struggling with a virus earlier but said his last two wins show "it's going in a positive direction, health-wise, tennis-wise."
No. 4 Jannik Sinner hasn't dropped a set en route to the quarterfinals, beating No. 15 Karen Khachanov on Sunday. Over in the women's bracket, reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka, who's seeded second, and 2023 U.S. Open winner Coco Gauff, who's seeded fourth, have their own such streaks going.
Sinner will next face fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev, who rallied to beat No. 10 Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-0.
Asked what was going through his head when he was down a set at 2-1 against an Aussie at home, the Russian player said, "You don't want to be inside my head, it's like a scary movie!"
Sabalenka will next play 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova, who dropped the first set but rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win that ended 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva's bid to become the youngest Australian Open quarterfinalist since Martina Hingis in 1997.
Gauff topped Magdalena Frech 6-1, 6-2, while Sabalenka beat Amanada Anisimova 6-3, 6-2. Anisimova had won four of their previous five meetings but she didn't have the answers this time.
"I'm super happy with the level, happy to get this win. She's a tough opponent," Sabalenka said.
As for the next test?
"I feel stronger than last year," Sabalenka said. "So far I feel good. Hopefully I just can keep it up."
Gauff, who next faces Marta Kostyuk, was the first woman through to the quarterfinals, needing just 63 minutes to see off Frech in a match played on Rod Laver Arena — and in front of the Australian great.
"Luckily, when I saw him come in, I was already well up," Gauff said of Laver. "I heard clapping and knew it wasn't for us; it was only the first set. But thank you for coming. It's an honor."
Last year in Melbourne, Andreeva was the junior girls' runner-up. This year, she was one of three 16-year-olds in the women's singles draw and made it the furthest.
Andreeva beat Bernarda Pera in straight sets in her opening match, took out her tennis inspiration Ons Jabeur — a three-time Grand Slam finalist — in 54 minutes in the second round, then saved a match point before defeating Diane Parry in the third round.
"I had a good tournament overall. I played a fourth round (at a Grand Slam tournament) for the second time in my life," said Andreeva, who advanced that far at Wimbledon last July. "I hope it's not the last.
"There is a lot of positive things to take from this trip, and also from today's match."