Novak Djokovic wore an irritated look as he joined the Wimbledon quarter-final line-up a day later than planned.

The Serbian set up a quarter-final against Tomas Berdych with a 6-2 7-6 (7/5) 6-4 victory against French left-hander Adrian Mannarino.

Against an opponent who landed a £7,000 fine earlier in the tournament for petulantly barging a ball boy, Djokovic did what was required without looking particularly like a champion in waiting.

Djokovic’s sullen mood could be attributed to several factors, not least of which was his frustration at being made to wait until Tuesday to get the match under way.

Gilles Muller’s epic Court One win over Rafael Nadal, which finished in fading light at 8.32pm on Monday, meant there was no time for Djokovic and Mannarino to begin there before nightfall, while a move to Centre Court was ruled out by tournament chiefs.

It is believed Djokovic was far from happy at being made to wait around until late evening without clarity about whether the contest would begin. And once it did start at midday on Tuesday, under the Centre Court roof as rain fell outside, Djokovic was soon riled by the state of the grass.

The three-time former champion was particularly agitated about the chewed-up patches around the baseline, and midway through the third set he sought treatment for what looked to be an upper arm or shoulder problem.

At one point early in the second set, Djokovic slung a backhand long over the baseline before picking a fresh ball from his pocket and smashing it to the turf with his racket. That was the cue for catcalls from the crowd. It can hardly have made pleasant viewing for coaches Andre Agassi and Mario Ancic either.

Mannarino had fought through five-set tussles with Yuichi Sugita and fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils to reach this stage, and despite seeming to struggle with his back in the early stages he looked to be determined to enjoy himself.

One particular shot, a gratuitous between-the-legs flick in the eighth game of the match, indicated he was out to impress the crowd and possibly unsettle Djokovic.

He could have got deeper under the skin of Djokovic by taking the second-set tie-break, but from 4-2 ahead Mannarino gave away four straight points. Djokovic lashed down an ace on his second set point and a yell of “Come on”, pumping his fist, showed the 30-year-old was striving to stay focused.

The third set was comparatively fuss-free as an early break gave Djokovic the upper hand. Despite the slight injury worry, he brought home the win comfortably enough, serving out to clinch a Wednesday clash with Berdych, a step closer to a possible semi-final against Roger Federer on Friday.