London [UK], July 12 : World number four Novak Djokovic overcame a worrying shoulder injury as well as his opponent, Adrian Mannarino, to book his place in the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon championship.
Three-time champion Djokovic defeated Mannarino 6-2, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 under the Centre Court roof on Tuesday.
The Serbian needed a medical timeout, while leading 4-3 in the third set, for treatment on his right shoulder, and there was obvious relief as he claimed victory after two hours and 14 minutes.
"We will see about the shoulder. It's something I have been dragging around for a while but I am still able to play. I haven't dropped a set in grass court events this year and I am very motivated to get as far as I can," said Djokovic who will now face 11th seeded Tomas Berdych in the quarter-final.
Djokovic also expressed some concern over the state of the court after his win. Berdych will have had a day more to rest up for the match as Djokovic and Mannarino were scheduled to have played their last-16 match on Monday.
Berdych hasn't defeated Djokovic since 2013 but he did triumph over the Serb at Wimbledon in the semi-finals seven years ago when the Czech finished runner-up to Nadal.
"I have done it in straight sets and that's all that matters. So I try to look forward to the next challenge and Berdych beat me here in semis in 2010. It was I think his first Grand Slam final. Obviously he's been around many years and is an established top 10 player: big game, flat shots, which are pretty good for this surface obviously where the ball bounces quite low," said Djokovic.
"He is someone that understands the occasion of playing big matches, big tournaments. He will not get overwhelmed by the stadium or whatever. He's been there so many years and has got experience. For me, it's important to start off well and hopefully I can execute that," he added..
Source: ANI
