The 32-year-old Serbian dropped the second set in a tiebreak on his way to triumphing 7-5, 6-7, 6-1, 6-4 on Court One at the All England Club. 

His one previous meeting with Hurkacz came on clay at this year’s French Open in Paris, where Djokovic won in straight sets.

"He was fighting," Djokovic told the BBC.

"He was playing well, serving well and hitting clean and accurate shots.

"It was a great fight the first couple of sets. 

"He deserved to win the second one.

"I tried to focus on one point at a time, I just wanted to hold my serve and make him play. 

"I played the perfect third set and also my fourth set was solid. 

"I'm really pleased with the performance."

Awaiting Djokovic in last 16 is France's Ugo Humbert, a 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 winner over Canada's Felix Auger Aliassime.

Elsewhere today, fourth seed Kevin Anderson of South Africa and 10th seed Karen Khachanov of Russia both crashed out. 

Anderson, beaten by Djokovic in last year's final, lost 4-6, 3-6, 6-7 against Argentina's Guido Pella, who progressed to the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time.  

Next up for Pella is Canada's Milos Raonic, who defeated the United States' Reilly Opelka 7-6, 6-2, 6-1.

Khachanov, meanwhile, fell to a 3-6, 6-7, 1-6 loss at the hands of Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut.

The reward for Bautista Agut is a meeting with Benoît Paire after the Frenchman overcame Czech Republic's Jiří Veselý 5-7, 7-6, 6-3, 7-6.

In the women's singles, former world number one Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark was knocked out by China's Zhang Shuai at the third-round stage.

Zhang, the world number 50, prevailed 6-4, 6-2 against the 14th seed 

She will now play Dayana Yastremska following the 19-year-old Ukrainian's 7-5, 6-3 victory at the expense of Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic.

There were also wins today for Czech third seed Karolína Plíšková and Romanian seventh seed Simona Halep.

Halep beat Belarus' Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 6-1, while Plíšková defeated Chinese Taipei's Hsieh Su-wei 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.

Standing between Halep and a place in the quarter-finals is 15-year-old sensation Coco Gauff after she saved two match points against Slovenia's Polona Hercog en route to winning in three sets and extending her incredible run.

The American teenager, who ousted five-times champion and compatriot Venus Williams in the first round, registered a 3-6, 7-6, 7-5 victory.

This was despite her being a set and 4-1 down in the second.

Action at Wimbledon is due to continue tomorrow.