Djokovic overcomes sickness in brutal defeat of Machac at Australian Open

Serbian player into fourth round with 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 victory‘Definitely the best match I’ve played in the tournament’

What doesn’t kill Novak Djokovic makes him stronger. On Friday night at Melbourne Park it was not only a dangerous opponent but also a stomach bug that left him green and calling for the doctor midway through the second set. The Serb even felt the electronic line calling system was against him.

But the march of Melbourne Park’s most persecuted continues towards a 25th grand slam title after he dispatched 26th seed Tomas Machac 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in 142 minutes to book a place in the fourth round. He had surprisingly dropped a set against two lower-ranked opponents in the early rounds, but Djokovic looked formidable here in a brutal display of grinding groundstrokes and supreme physicality.

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