Aus Open: Djokovic overcomes struggles to beat Machac, enters 4th round

Former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic overcame struggles as the record 10-time champion surged to a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 triumph against Tomas Machac to advance to the fourth round at the Australian Open for a 17th time on Friday.

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

Djokovic sought assistance from a trainer for some trouble breathing Friday night, and went back-and-forth with one particularly loud spectator, but when the ball was in play at the Australian Open against Tomas Machac, all went quite smoothly for the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

Djokovic tugged at his upper abdomen towards the end of the first set, though it wasn't clear what the issue was. The Serb called for the physio during the second set and left for treatment at the end of it. Yet despite dealing with physical challenges, the 37-year-old Serbian was able to overpower and outfox the Czech 26th seed from the baseline to wrap up a clinical two-hour, 22-minute victory at the Rod Laver Arena.

Despite his troubles, Djokovic, a 10-time title winner at Melbourne Park, moved into the fourth round with his most confident performance of the week with a hard-fought victory over the 26th-seeded Machac—who actually won their most recent previous encounter, last season.