Novak Djokovic defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in the longest quarter-final in Wimbledon history, with the Serbian legend winning 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 in five hours and 15 minutes.
It was also the longest match Djokovic had ever played at Wimbledon, and he booked a stunning semi-final meeting with world number one Jannik Sinner, defeating Auger-Aliassime.
UFC 329: McGregor vs. Holloway 2 | SUN JULY 12 11:00 AM EST | Conor McGregor is back. The Irish superstar will take on the ever-dangerous Max Holloway in a rematch 13 years in the making. | Book the main event now on Kayo Sports.
Djokovic cruised to victory just six minutes before Wimbledon’s 11pm curfew when he won the match tiebreaker 10-4 over the third-seeded Canadian.
“One of the best matches I’ve played on this court,” Djokovic said.
The 39-year-old is the oldest player in more than 50 years to reach the final four of the All England Club after a marathon performance that further highlighted his incredible ability to defy Father Time.
He is now two wins away from a historic 25th Grand Slam title.
Tom Carey of The Telegraph described the match as “5 hours and 15 minutes of absolute madness”, while the official Wimbledon account posted just one word.
“Silent”.
Asked in an interview at the trial how he managed to achieve such a remarkable performance, Djokovic replied: “With a racket and a big heart.”
“It was really a dead heat in the fifth round super tiebreaker,” he added.
“What can I say? It’s moments like these that I still play tennis for.
“I would like this to be the finale so I don’t have to worry about how my body will feel tomorrow.
“But yeah, I’m glad I won.”
Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts during a super tiebreaker against Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada in the men’s singles quarterfinal match.Source: AP
Djokovic saved three set points in a thrilling first-set tiebreak, which he won 12-10.
But he lost the second set 6-3, and that’s when his rage set in.
At the end of the second set, a call was made to close the center court roof and Djokovic made his feelings known to Wimbledon official Denise Parnell courtside.
“The other day you didn’t want to close it until 8:30, now you want to close it?” – he said.
“Do you want to make it to 8:30? It’s 7:40. We can play another set outdoors. We’re an outdoor tournament.”
Parnell appeared to cite an early match involving Sinner as a precedent for closing the roof.
“As for Yannick, I don’t care what happens in his matches. I’m talking about our match now,” Djokovic replied.
“You remember the first round, you didn’t close it until about 8:20. Now you want to close it at 7:40. Where’s the consistency?”
He then added, “You are so proud of your rules and don’t stick to any rules. You have no idea what a rule is.”
Djokovic fought back to win the third set 6-3 before Auger-Aliassime won the fourth set in a tiebreak and left the judges nervous that the match might have to be stopped due to a curfew.
Both players refused to give an inch in the fifth set until Auger-Aliassime blinked first in the tiebreaker.
The 25-year-old became the first player ever to take Djokovic to five sets at Wimbledon and also went the distance against Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros.
Unfortunately, the Canadian failed to defeat any legend in two fights.
“Novak Djokovic continues to add to the legend. This is another one of them. He has so many numbers, statistics and tournament victories,” Australian tennis legend Todd Woodbridge told the BBC.
“Felix Auger-Aliassime’s first time here will be memorable because he will be an important part of another part of Wimbledon history.”
Sinner awaits Djokovic in the eighth Wimbledon semi-final after the defending champion ended German veteran Jan-Lennard Struff’s fairytale run in the quarter-finals – Sinner won 7-5, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 on court one.
The pair will meet in a mouth-watering rematch after Djokovic defeated Sinner in the marathon semi-final at Melbourne Park in January.
“If it’s Novak, then I feel like every match is unique. Even when I had a short series with him, I felt like every match really had its own story,” Sinner said.
“Especially when you’re playing on a surface like this. If you have a bad serve day or you don’t feel the ball well, it’s going to be very, very difficult. Either way, I’m happy to be back in the semi-finals. I’m happy to fight for every ball. We’ll see. We can’t do more than that.”
“He’s won this tournament so many times and he knows exactly how to approach it. I’m looking forward to it.”
READ MORE
How The Demon’s brutal confession to the Wimbledon disaster revealed the painful truth about $37 million
‘Breaks me inside’: Demon’s heartbreaking revelation as Aussie burns golden chance at Wimbledon
Sinner advances to semi-finals in straight sets | 01:48
In the women’s tournament, Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon for the first time.
As Wimbledon experienced sweltering heat this week, world number one Sinner had to answer some awkward questions about his ability to withstand the heat.
The 24-year-old Italian lost at the recent French Open when the mercury reached boiling point, prompting a stunning second-round loss to Juan Manuel Cerundolo, who came back from two sets down 5-1 to beat Sinner.
Claiming to win Wimbledon for the second year in a row, Sinner lived up to his claim that he would handle the London heat wave against Straff – at 36, he became the oldest man to become a first-time major quarter-finalist in the Open era.
The four-time Grand Slam champion was not in the best of form but his booming serve denied Struff, world number 74, as he reached his 10th Grand Slam semi-final and third at Wimbledon.
“Today was a huge test. I felt comfortable physically, it’s a good step forward,” Sinner said.
“We worked hard after Paris, trying to understand what went wrong and preparing as best we could.”
Djokovic is hoping to equal Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon singles titles by winning a record 25th major.
This would make him the oldest man to win a Grand Slam in the open era. The 39-year-old Serb’s victory over third seed Auger-Aliassime took Djokovic to a record 15th Wimbledon semi-final and 55th Grand Slam title.
He will also reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the eighth time in a row, setting a new record for the longest streak of men’s singles semi-final appearances at the All England Club.
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts after losing to Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in the men’s singles quarterfinals.Source: AP
– Gauff in uncharted territory –
The All-American meet on Center Court went in Gauff’s favor, with the seventh seed beating American Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Gauff, a two-time major champion, was making his first appearance in the final eight at the All England Club.
The 22-year-old started sluggishly as fourth-seeded Pegula, 32, took the first set.
But Gauff hit back decisively, taking advantage of the momentum in the second set before sealing the win in the third.
Seven years after becoming the youngest player to reach the Wimbledon main draw at the age of 15 and then stunning Venus Williams on her debut, Gauff is two wins away from an even more impressive success at the All England Club.
She reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since winning her last major at the French Open last year.
She is the youngest tennis player to appear in all four Grand Slam semi-finals since Maria Sharapova in 2007.
“Considering that I hadn’t won a match on grass two years before this tournament, I’m very happy with how I played today,” Gauff said.
Coco Gauff of the United States celebrates her victory in the women’s singles quarterfinal match against Jessica Pegula.Source: AP
Gauff will face Czech 10th seed Muchova in the last four, who beat Japanese star Naomi Osaka 7-6 (7/4), 6-4.
Muchova had never made it past the first round in her four previous visits to Wimbledon, but she won the grass-court event in Bad Homburg in June.
“Oh my God, I was very nervous! I know not to lose focus because if you give her a small chance, she will take it,” Muchova said.
The 29-year-old lost her only Grand Slam final match to Iga Swiatek at the 2023 French Open.
Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic celebrates her victory over Naomi Osaka of Japan in the women’s singles quarterfinal match.Source: APNaomi Osaka of Japan bows out after losing to Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic in the women’s singles quarterfinal match.Source: AP
French Open champion Alexander Zverev completed his postponed round of 16 match against Jiri Lehecky, winning 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (8/6) to book a quarter-final meeting with sixth-seeded American Taylor Fritz.
Zverev was leading by two sets when the match was stopped due to a curfew at 2200 GMT on Monday.