Djokovic into French Open quarter-finals after five-set thriller

The world number one shrugged off an injury to his right knee as he came from two sets to one down to outlast Cerundolo 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 after four hours and 39 minutes.

Victory gave him a record 370th Grand Slam win, eclipsing the mark he had shared with Roger Federer.

"Three or four times I was points away from losing this match and thank you to my opponent," he said.

"He deserves so much applause that's for sure. I'm not sure how I won this match again.

Djokovic will play Casper Ruud, the player he beat in last year's final, or Taylor Fritz as he continues his bid for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title.

The 37-year-old Djokovic, coming off a five-set match in the third round that ended at 3.07am on Sunday morning, repeatedly received treatment for an injury to his knee after taking a medical timeout early in the second set.

But he once more displayed his immense powers of recovery, crucially retrieving a break in the fourth set to stay on course for a fourth French Open crown.

Djokovic rolled through the opening set against Cerundolo on the back of two service breaks, but his problems arose in the second as he summoned the trainer.

The Serbian had his knee worked on while lying flat on his back on a towel, and immediately found himself under pressure once play resumed.

After failing to convert any of seven break points over three different games, Cerundolo finally seized his chance with Djokovic serving to stay in the set.

Djokovic steered a forehand wide to hand Cerundolo the second set and the 25-year-old carried that momentum in the third as he surged into a 3-0 lead.