Novak Djokovic prevails over Milos Raonic

Novak Djokovic progressed to the last 16 in a four-set victory over Milos Raonic but after the match he said he was far from in peak fitness.

Novak Djokovic. Picture: Getty Images

Novak Djokovic is far from peak fitness but he is still proving remarkably hard to beat on his favourite tennis court in Melbourne.

After an intriguing lead-in to his Round of 16 clash against Milos Raonic, the eight-time Australian Open champion showed significant grit against Milos Raonic on Sunday night.

Djokovic did not train on Sunday and changed courts for a warm up session as he tested a sore abdominal muscle ahead of the clash against the Canadian on Rod Laver Arena.

While appearing to wince on several occasions when stretched wide during rallies, and occasionally sinking to his haunches in pain, he was still able to prevail.

As Australian John Millman noted from the commentary box, Djokovic actually appeared to move better the longer the match progressed.

He posted his 12th win from as many clashes against Raonic when successful 7-6 (4) 4-6 6-1 6-4 in 2hr 56min.

In doing so, the 17-time major champion posted his 300th win at grand slam level. Only Roger Federer, with 362 victories, is ahead of him. Djokovic will soon reign in the Swiss superstar in terms of the numbers of weeks as the world’s top-ranked player.

But the Serbian champion said he was not sure whether he would be able to play as he arrived to warm up at Melbourne Park earlier on Sunday.

“There was no preparation basically for this match, I used every single match since my last match against Taylor (Fritz) to recover,” he said.

“I am taking it each day at a time. I am trying to put myself in a good condition to try to compete in the next match.

“If it was any other tournament then a grand slam, I would withdraw from the event, for sure.

“Obviously I didn’t know before I finished my warm up … whether I was going to play or not. During the match today it was on and off.

“It is not ideal, but I cannot complain, I won the match against a great player and hopefully it is going to be better in two days.

“Right now, in my head, it’s all about recovery. I just really want to try and feel better and better. I’m under pain killers for more than 48 hours, very strong ones. I don’t know the damage that’s been done. There’s always more damage.”

Awaiting Djokovic is Alexander Zverev, a finalist at the US Open last year who has progressed to the last eight with little fanfare.

The German defeated Djokovic’s compatriot Dusan Lajovic 6-4 7-6 (5) 6-3.

The world No 1 leads their head-to-head 5-2, with his most recent victory occurring in the ATP Cup last week in Melbourne.