"I wasn't sure I wanted to face him so early (in the tournament)," said the 36-year-old Serb, highlighting the quality of his opponent's play while he himself does not yet consider himself at the best of his level.
"He had no luck in the second set," added Djokovic who will face Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka (88th), quarterfinalist in 2014 and 2015, or Argentina's Tomas Etcheverry (32nd) for a place in the 8th final.
The match between Wawrinka and Etcheverry has been postponed to Thursday due to rain disrupting the tournament since Monday.
With Wednesday's win, Djokovic clinched a 30th straight win at Wimbledon since losing the quarterfinals in 2017. He has since gone undefeated with four consecutive titles. A fifth on July 16 would tie Roger Federer's record of eight Wimbledon titles, one length shy of Martina Navratilova's all-time record.
© 2023 AFP