Eight-time winner Novak Djokovic fought through what he had described as a tournament-ending injury to beat Milos Raonic and reach the Australian Open quarter-finals on Sunday.
Djokovic, the world No 1, had raised the alarm over an abdominal injury after his five-set battle with Taylor Fritz, but he battled past the Canadian with a 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 win. He stretched, grimaced but showed signature ability to step up at crucial moments to notch up a landmark win.
Aus Open, day 7 men’s roundup: Djokovic battles past Raonic for 300th win at a Major, Thiem ousted
The 17-time Grand Slam winner said he had spent “every single hour” since Friday’s win trying to recover, and wasn’t sure he would play until he warmed up before the match.
“If it was any other tournament than a Grand Slam I would retire from the tournament, that’s for sure,” said Djokovic, who becomes just the second man after Roger Federer to win 300 Grand Slam matches.
“But because it’s a Grand Slam, I want to give my best alongside my team to try to recover and get on the court.”
Watch the highlights of the match and the Serb’s post-match reaction here:
