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“Mentally I think you have to accept that I came to the match knowing that I will probably feel pain throughout the match, which was the case,” Djokovic told reporters after the victory. “But the pain level was bearable so I was able to play and it was a bit intermittent during the game.
“But somehow I managed to find a way and win, and that’s what matters the most. Now I have another 40 hours or so until the next game, which is great for grand slams.
“The medical team told me it’s a gamble while I’m on the court. It could cause a lot more damage, but it could go in a good direction. I won’t know until I stop taking painkillers. Hide what’s really going on. I’ll take a free time afterwards. “
Roger Federer is the only man to previously hit the 300-win Grand Slams mark, sitting far ahead with 362. Rafael Nadal is third with 285.
It is the 12th time in the past 14 years that Djokovic has reached the Australian Open quarter-finals and next for the eight-time champion is German Alex Zverev.
Third seed Dominic Thiem was a surprise underdog on Friday, falling with a groan in straight sets to Grigor Dimitrov. The Austrian, who won his first Grand Slam title at last year’s US Open, defended himself by two sets less than local favorite Nick Kyrgios on Friday, but it seemed that that five-set epic had drained him physically and mentally.
Dimitrov will play Russian Aslan Karatsev, a surprise quarter-finalist, for a place in the bottom four.
