Novak Djokovic battled past Felix Auger-Aliassime in the longest Wimbledon quarterfinal in history to reach a record 15th semifinal, where he will face defending champion Jannik Sinner.
Djokovic survives longest-ever Wimbledon QF to set semis date with Sinner/ Credit: Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic produced another remarkable display of resilience to reach his record-extending 15th Wimbledon semifinal after edging Felix Auger-Aliassime in the longest quarterfinal ever played at The Championships.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion battled for five hours and 15 minutes to seal a dramatic 7-6(10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(10-4) victory, booking his 55th Grand Slam semifinal and an eighth successive last-four appearance at Wimbledon.
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Nineteen years after reaching his first Wimbledon semi-final, Djokovic continues to rewrite history. At 39 years and 51 days, he became the second-oldest men’s singles semifinalist in the Open Era at Wimbledon, behind only Ken Rosewall, who reached the 1974 final at 39 years and 246 days.
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The Serbian has now won 107 matches at Wimbledon, extending the men’s record he claimed in the fourth round when he surpassed Roger Federer’s tally of 105 victories. Djokovic is now just two wins away from lifting his first Wimbledon title since 2023 and a record-equalling eighth crown at the All England Club.
Standing between him and another final is defending champion Jannik Sinner. The pair will meet in Friday’s semifinal, a rematch of last year’s last-four encounter, where the Italian ended Djokovic’s bid for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title before going on to win the championship.
The quarterfinal tested every ounce of Djokovic’s experience and determination. He took a medical timeout to treat a calf issue, repeatedly engaged with his player box, and had to withstand relentless pressure from the Canadian, with only four service breaks occurring across the entire contest.
It took Djokovic nearly two hours to earn the decisive break, as he repeatedly targeted Auger-Aliassime’s backhand before relying on his trademark composure in the final-set match tiebreak to seal victory.
The win also snapped Djokovic’s run of three consecutive Wimbledon defeats against top-10 opponents, following back-to-back final losses to Carlos Alcaraz in 2023 and 2024 and last year’s semifinal defeat to Sinner.
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