Novak Djokovic rolled back the years on Centre Court, coming through a five-set epic against Felix Auger-Aliassime to reach the Wimbledon semifinals. The match lasted more than five hours and was decided, fittingly, in a final-set tiebreak, with the 39-year-old Serb holding his nerve against an opponent 14 years his junior.
A test of endurance
Djokovic won 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, in a contest that swung back and forth and pushed him physically, ESPN reported. He took treatment on court during the match but recovered to see it through, closing out one of the longer matches of his long Wimbledon career. Auger-Aliassime, at 25, matched him for long stretches and had chances of his own, but Djokovic found the crucial points when they mattered most, as he so often has.
History on his side
The win extended one of the more remarkable records in the sport. By ESPN's count it was Djokovic's 55th appearance in a Grand Slam semifinal, the most of any man, and at 39 he became the oldest man to reach a major semifinal in nearly half a century. That he is still doing this, deep into major tournaments and outlasting players born after he turned professional, is itself the story.
Next up
In the last four Djokovic will face Jannik Sinner, the world's leading player and the defending Wimbledon champion, in a meeting of eras: the sport's great constant against the man who now sets the standard. Djokovic has spent this fortnight proving he can still live with the best on his favorite surface; against Sinner he will get the sternest possible test of whether, at 39, he can go one more step and reach another final.
