“He doesn’t give you many, but he does give you some, and when he does do that, you have to take them because if you don’t, then he’ll make you pay … but if I can go out there and play the way I did in the first three sets [that night] then who’s to say [I can’t win]?”

Djokovic, who has made a swift recovery from knee surgery early last month, said the development in Popyrin’s game would make him a difficult proposition.

“[He has a] big serve, big forehand. He loves that serve-plus-forehand play,” Djokovic said.

“We had a very good match in Australia. I think he improved his backhand a lot, and his movement. That was maybe not as good in the past. He’s becoming a very complete player.

“[He is a] tall guy who’s not afraid to finish the point at the net. If he serves well; it’s very tough to play. Anybody on the grass who serves as good as he serves [is a challenge] … one of the keys will be in that match how good I will be able to read his serves and get them back in play and make him work for his points.”

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Popyrin, a junior Roland-Garros champion ranked No.47 on the men’s tour, has experienced his share of ups and downs, most notably two years ago, when his ranking slumped as low as 131 during a season he won only five of 22 matches.

He learned plenty about himself through that time, which he described as “the toughest” of his career.

Popyrin has prioritised getting the right team around him, headlined by coaches Neville Godwin and Xavier Malisse, who have helped instil belief in him.

He welcomed Djokovic’s compliments about his arsenal, but said he did not need gratification from peers.

Popyrin, who also faced claycourt king Rafael Nadal at Roland-Garros three years ago, echoed his pre-match comments from January when he said this latest clash with Djokovic was “just another match”.

“I wouldn’t be investing big time in the team around me, in myself, and the time I put in, if I didn’t have that belief,” he said.

“I do believe that I’ve got big things coming [and that] I’ve got the game to do it. I’m putting in the work daily … I feel like sometimes I can get down on myself when results don’t go my way because I’m putting in the work.

“But I have amazing people around me, and they keep saying if I keep putting in the work, one day it’s all going to click, and you’re going to breakout – and I believe in that.”

Alcaraz keeps title defence alive

Meanwhile, defending men’s champion Carlos Alcaraz survived another five-set cliffhanger with American star Frances Tiafoe on Friday to keep his Wimbledon title defence alive.

Alcaraz also beat Tiafoe in five sets in the 2022 US Open semi-finals en route to his maiden major title, but this time had to recover from a two-sets-to-one deficit before triumphing 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 in a contest lasting almost four hours.

“It’s always a big challenge playing against Frances – he’s a really talented player and tough to face. It was really difficult for me to adapt my game, but I’m happy I did it,” No. 3 seed Alcaraz said.

“I was telling myself to ‘Fight one more ball, fight one more ball’.”

Alcaraz’s escape headlined another rain-drenched London day, but excitement is rising within the host nation after 2021 US Open winner Emma Raducanu upset ninth-seeded Greek Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-3 to make the fourth round for a second time.

“I think today was really up there with the most fun I’ve had on a tennis court,” Raducanu said. “I really enjoyed every single moment.”

Russian 14th seed Daria Kasatkina also departed at Paula Badosa’s hands in a 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-4 result, while New Zealand qualifier Lulu Sun’s breakout slam continued in a 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (8-6) defeat of Zhu Lin. Sun is Raducanu’s next opponent.

The other women’s matches went according to the script, with second seed Coco Gauff, Roland-Garros finalist Jasmine Paolini, 12th seed Madison Keys and 19th seed Emma Navarro advancing to the last 16. On the men’s side, 10th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov and No.12 seed and Queen’s Club champion Tommy Paul advanced in straight sets against Gael Monfils and Alexander Bublik, respectively.

Marc McGowan is at Wimbledon with the support of Tennis Australia.

Watch Wimbledon 2024 from July 1 live and exclusively free on Nine and 9Now with every match streaming ad-free, live and on demand with centre court in 4K on Stan Sport.