The roar might have been heard miles away by the fans who had to leave the Rod Laver Arena because of the lockdown that was imminent from midnight. When play was suspended and they were escorted out by security with a smattering of boos, Djokovic was staring at a third-round exit. He was injured, he was struggling, but as he does, fought through it all and found a way in the end to let out massive a yell when he won the match in the fifth.
An ailing Djokovic overcame an abdominal “muscle tear” and to outlast Taylor Fritz in the Australian Open, a five-set triumph he rated as one of his “most special”.
The world No 1, however, admitted he faces a race against time to be fit for his fourth-round match against Milos Raonic.
“I know it’s a tear of the muscle, so I don’t know if I will be able to recover from that in two days,” he said.
The Serb appeared to be cruising until he needed a medical timeout early in the third set.
Djokovic constantly grimaced…