WATCH the ATP Tour LIVE in Australia on beIN SPORTS | Sign up here

Popyrin forced Djokovic to come from a set down to beat him in four, confirming his place in the Round of 16 with a 3-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-3) triumph.

Next up for Djokovic is Holger Rune.

World No.2 Djokovic continued his record of having never lost to Popyrin in what was their third meeting, the previous one coming at the Australian Open earlier this year.

The Serbian praised Popyrin for his valiant effort, going on to admit the tie-break in the fourth saw him produce his highest level this year.

"It was another tough match. I didn’t expect anything less than what we experienced on the court today from Alexei," Djokovic said.

"I knew he was going to come to the match with confidence, a lot of self-belief. He was close to winning [when we played] in Australia earlier this year.

"With that serve and powerful forehand, he’s dangerous on any surface.

"I knew he was in form and he was going to come out believing he could win. He was the better player in the first set.

"I think I played a good second and third and the fourth was anybody’s game. He was serving very well. It was very difficult to read his serve.

"It was just a very challenging match, mentally as well, to hang in there. I'm not allowed to have big concentration lapses.

"I think I’ve done well in that regard in one of the best tie-breaks I’ve played this year, that’s for sure."

While Djokovic was far from vintage in the first set, he showed the kind of resilience that we've seen throughout his career.

Djokovic became only the third player in the Open Era to achieve 50 grand slam match wins after turning 35, along with Ken Rosewall (64) and Roger Federer (62).

The players also shared a lighter moment as England's penalty shootout win at UEFA Euro 2024 over Switzerland in the quarter-finals filtered through to Centre Court.