Reigning champion Novak Djokovic came through a tough examination of his fitness as the top seed beat Canadian powerhouse Milos Raonic 7-6(4) 4-6 6-1 6-4 on Sunday to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals.
Djokovic, who injured a side muscle during a five-set win over Taylor Fritz on Friday and suggested he might not be able to continue, showed hints of discomfort on the way to becoming the second male player to reach 300 Grand Slam match wins.
Fourteenth seed Raonic had never previously taken a set off Djokovic in three previous Grand Slam meetings so when he snatched the second set a surprise looked possible.
But Djokovic, bidding for a record-extending ninth title in Melbourne, responded by raising his level and improving his record over Raonic to 12-0.
The Serb will face Germany’s Alexander Zverev for a place in the semi-finals.
After the drama of Friday when Djokovic said he had sustained a “tear” and could not move, this was a relatively routine day at the office for the world number one who has been on painkillers for 48 hours.
“It was good enough to compete, to play, I wouldn’t be standing here talking if I wasn’t in sufficient condition to get on the court and give myself a chance to win a match,” Djokovic told Eurosport.
“It’s not ideal, I’ve felt better that’s for sure. Didn’t have much preparation and didn’t hit a tennis ball since two nights ago. There was a cloud of doubt whether I would play but it’s a Grand Slam and I gave everything to have a chance.”
