"It was a great performance" - Djokovic reflects on his quarterfinal victory

Djokovic defeated Raonic 6-4, 6-3, 7-6. The match was really calm and both players had a great respect for the other. However, the match also included a controversial moment when at 4-4 in the third set, Novak took a medical timeout as he needed to change his contact lenses. After the match, he apologized to Raonic again.

“I apologise to Milos again. It was not something you see often,” Djokovic said of his vision predicament. “It was not a changeover moment, it was not intentional or tactical, just something I had to do. Those few games I couldn’t see much and had to change those lenses.”

The biggest favorite to win the title in Melbourne spoke also about the match and his performance. After no.1 Rafael Nadal lost to Dominic Thiem, Djokovic has even bigger chances to win the title.

“I felt great on the court. Thought I was very focused in the first couple of sets, one break was enough each set,” Djokovic said. “Quite comfortable serving, that was very encouraging serving, I thought that would be two key elements in the game – the return, get him moving around the court and secondly, how efficiently I’d hit my spots on the court … It was a great performance.”

Novak, as many others players did via social media, also paid tribute to his friend Kobe Bryant who died a few days ago. "I don't know what we could say. It really caught us by surprise. He was one of the greatest athletes of all time. He inspired me and many other people all over the world. When I needed some advice, he was there for me. He was my mentor, my friend. It is heartbreaking."