- Hamstring hampers Djokovic in 7-6 (7), 6-3, 6-4 victory
- Nine-time champion now faces home favourite Alex de Minaur
Novak Djokovic was not aware Andy Murray was about to be beaten on another court. He was still on Rod Laver Arena, having survived the pain of his troublesome hamstring and then thrived despite it to see off Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (7), 6-3, 6-4. As far as he knew, he and Murray were the only grand slam champions left in the men’s draw. Two 35-year-old’s battling their own bodies as much as their opponents.
“Thirty-five is the new 25, you know,” Djokovic said, jesting as if he had not just grunted through more than three hours of probable torture and a medical timeout to get the job done. “Look at Rafa, look at Andy. They’re all playing at an extremely high level. Every season counts now, when you come to probably the last stage of your career. You start appreciating and valuing every single tournament more because you know you might not have too many left in the tank. It’s been almost 20 years of professional sport, so I can’t be more grateful than I am.”