Top seed Novak Djokovic has survived a shoulder injury scare to reach the Wimbledon fourth round with a 6-4 6-2 6-4 win over Gilles Simon, his seventh successive victory over the Frenchman.

Djokovic, the 2011 champion, needed a medical timeout to receive treatment and take a painkiller after hurting his left shoulder in a spectacular diving attempt to reach a Simon drive in the sixth game of the third set on Centre Court.

But the Serb overcame the scare to set up a clash with French 14th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for a place in the quarter-finals.

Djokovic admitted he was shaken by his fall and finished the match in some discomfort, but the world number two hopes the damage isn’t severe enough to impede his chances of continuing in the tournament.

“I was just hoping nothing was going on bad with the joint,” he said.

“There was no damage in the joint, so I could play a few games after that. The muscle was still quite sore because of the impact, so all in all I’m just glad to get through.

“Now there are two days off so I’m going to recover and get ready.”

Djokovic has won 10 of his 11 meetings with the big-serving Tsonga, including in the 2011 Wimbledon semi-finals and the quarter-finals at the 2012 Olympic Games, which were staged at the All England Club.

But the Serb knows the flamboyant Tsonga, twice a Wimbledon semi-finalist, is a dangerous opponent on grass.

“It’s obvious that as the tournament progresses you are going to encounter players with a higher ranking that can make an impact at this stage,” Djokovic added.

“He is a great grasscourt player and has won against some good players at Wimbledon.

“He loves the energy of the stadium. I remember my matches against him in the 2011 semi-finals here and the Olympic Games.”