London: Djokovic battled through injury, nerves and sweltering heat on Tuesday to overcome Canadian third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6 (12/10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (10/4) in a breathtaking contest that lasted five hours and 15 minutes.
The 39-year-old former champion appeared to be hurt in the opening set but refused to back down, producing a performance full of grit and determination to book his place in the last four.
Djokovic will now face defending champion Jannik Sinner on Friday for a place in the Wimbledon final. Sinner, the world number one, reached the semifinals with a straight-sets victory over German veteran Jan-Lennard Struff.
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After the match, Djokovic summed up his incredible fightback by saying: “With a racquet and a lot of heart. I have management of the nerves and the extreme tension you feel in these kinds of matches.”
The Serbian star is chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title and looking to equal Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon crowns.
Djokovic has won five of his 11 meetings with Sinner, including two victories at Wimbledon in 2022 and 2023. However, he lost to the Italian in the 2025 Wimbledon semifinals before avenging that defeat in the last four of the Australian Open in January.
