adminLeading 2-1 in the second set of their quarter-final at Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic lurched awkwardly when chasing a ball to defend a break point, and grimaced in pain as he clutched his left leg.
Walking gingerly between points but still in full flight during play, the world No 1 survived a pulsating second set and stunned the nervous Spaniard by taking an early break in the third.
Fifth seed Ferrer doggedly chased down everything thrown at him but was powerless to stop Djokovic’s charge as the Serbian found his range in devastating form to seal the last set in 30 minutes with an ace.
Andy Murray shrugged off a sore neck to end Kei Nishikori’s brilliant run carving up the Japanese with a dominant 6-3 6-3 6-1 victory to stroll into his third successive semi-final.
Nishikori, the first Japanese man through to the last eight in Melbourne for 80 years, won support from kimono-clad fans as the underdog at sun-bathed Rod Laver Arena, but left with his tail between his legs after a two-hour 12-minute spanking.
While serving appallingly and rarely setting the court alight, Murray assumed control from the outset, exploiting the flashy Japanese’s comparative lack of height with lobs and running him around the court to distraction.
Murray, who landed only 44 percent of his first serves and was broken twice in the match, said he had woken up with a pain in his neck and wasn’t sure if it had affected him against Nishikori.
The fourth-seed stepped up a gear in the third set as fatigue took its toll on the 22-year-old Japanese, who had played two epic five-set matches and a long four-setter in his previous three rounds.
Irked after handing back a break early in the third set, Murray stomped back to his chair at the change of ends and flung a bottle of water in anger. — News24.
Online Reporter