Djokovic relieved to avoid marathon

Novak Djokovic proved he has plenty left to give after moving into the Australian Open semi-finals with victory over Tomas Berdych.

The defending champion needed five sets to get past Stanislas Wawrinka on Sunday night and there were question marks over whether or not he would be able to recover in time to face the Czech star. But the world number one dug deep and, despite the loss of the second set, was always in control of the match, running out a 6-1 4-6 6-1 6-4 winner at Melbourne Park. The Serbian ace will now face David Ferrer for a place in the final and he admitted that a short match was just what the doctor ordered. "It was a great performance," he said. "I was hoping to have a shorter match, whoever won, just not go over five hours. "It was always going to be tough against Tomas, he has been an established top-10 player now for the last five or six years and if he's on he can win against anyone on any surface."