Djokovic battles through pain to reach his 11th quarterfinals in Shanghai

A physically struggling Novak Djokovic overcame discomfort in his left foot and a tough challenger in Jaume Munar to advance into the quarterfinals at the Rolex Shanghai Masters for an 11th time on Tuesday.

Playing with the Chinese crowd behind him, the 24-time major champion and four-time winner of the Shanghai event stepped up his game when it mattered to pull off arguably the most physically challenging win he has had this season over Munar, beating the 41st-ranked Spaniard 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 in two hours and 40 minutes.

The Serbian great received multiple medical timeouts for what appeared to be a left ankle injury that occurred midway through the first set and he frequently had an ice towel over his head during changeovers on another humid night in Shanghai.

Djokovic had to go the distance to advance, following his 2-1 victory over German ace Yannick Hanfmann on Sunday.