"I am not even close to my best level" - Novak Djokovic after reaching Serbia Open quarterfinals

Novak Djokovic opened his campaign in Belgrade with a hard-fought win.

Novak Djokovic has admitted that he is not close to his imperious best after battling to a three-set win over compatriot Laslo Djere on Wednesday to reach the Serbia Open quarterfinals.

The World No. 1, coming off a shock second-round exit in Monte-Carlo against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, struggled for fluency against Djere in his home tournament.

Djokovic started slowly, dropping the first set 6-2 and conceding an early break in the second. The 34-year-old recovered the break but squandered three set points in the 12th game and came within two points of defeat in the ensuing tie-break. However, he held on to force a decider.

In a tense third set, Djere missed routine forehands on serve at 4-3, 40-15 and 4-3 up in the tie-break, which ended up costing him the match.

After the match, Djokovic expressed his relief at getting out of jail despite playing well below his usual standards.

"I am not even close to my best level. I am lacking confidence as well, but it's not the first time it's like that; I know how to deal with it."

#Djokovic: I am not even close to my best level, I am lacking confidence as well, but it’s not the first time it’s like that, I know how to deal with it. https://t.co/CkcYxfapr4

Djokovic will look to bring his big-match experience to the fore when he takes on Miomir Kecmanovic for a place in the last four.

"I think Djere, for most of the match, was the better player" - Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is through to the Belgrade quarterfinals.

Novak Djokovic had no qualms admitting that he was second best for large swathes of his clash against Djere. The World No. 50 had break points in Djokovic's first four service games of the match, breaking twice.

The 26-year-old rode his momentum in the second, fashioning another break before Djokovic finally woke up.

A thriller in Belgrade!

Novak Djokovic comes back to beat Laslo Djere in a 3-hour match 😲 (via @TennisTV)

https://t.co/Xk6ivTwL1b

Djokovic acknowledged that he struggled for most of the match, especially on serve.

"I think Djere, for most of the match, was the better player. He was the one controlling the game. He was the one attacking. I didn't feel great again in terms of my game. I had a very bad match with my serve, kind of ups and downs really."

It remains to be seen if he fares better against Kecmanovic, who beat John Millman to reach the quarterfinals in Belgrade.