Djokovic survives five-hour, five-set epic to reach Wimbledon semifinal

Novak Djokovic reached the Wimbledon semifinals on July 8 after beating Felix Auger-Aliassime in a five-set quarterfinal that lasted 5 hours 15 minutes, according to Wimbledon. The 39-year-old Serbian won 7-6(10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6[10-4] on Centre Court in what Wimbledon called the longest quarterfinal in the tournament’s history. The match ended at 10:52 p.m., eight minutes before the All England Club’s 11 p.m. curfew, with the final three sets played under the roof. Djokovic’s victory sent him into a July 10 semifinal against defending champion Jannik Sinner. ### How long did this match actually last? Wimbledon said the match ran 5 hours 15 minutes, making it the longest quarterfinal ever played at the Championships. The official recap said Djokovic “dug deep” to close it out after a deciding-set match tiebreak. Centre Court hosted a contest that repeatedly swung back toward Auger-Aliassime, who forced a fifth set after taking the fourth-set tiebreak. The final scoreline showed how little separated them: two tiebreaks in the opening and closing sets, plus another in the fourth. Wimbledon’s schedule page listed the completed result from July 8, while the ATP Tour also described it as a dramatic fifth-set tiebreak win. ### What was the score, and where did Djokovic pull away? Djokovic took the first set 7-6 after a 12-10 tiebreak, then lost the second 6-3 as Auger-Aliassime leveled the match. The Serbian regained control in the third set at 6-3, but Auger-Aliassime again answered by winning the fourth-set tiebreak 7-4. The deciding set stayed on serve and went to a match tiebreak. Wimbledon said Djokovic won that breaker 10-4 to finish the match. The ATP Tour said the win sent Djokovic into the Wimbledon semifinals for a record-extending 15th time. ### Why was this win notable for Djokovic beyond just reaching another semifinal? Wimbledon said Djokovic reached his 55th Grand Slam semifinal and his eighth straight Wimbledon semifinal with the victory. The tournament also said he became the oldest Wimbledon men’s semifinalist in more than 50 years. The official Wimbledon recap added that Djokovic is now two wins away from breaking the all-time singles major title record he currently shares with Margaret Court. That framing came from Wimbledon’s match report after the quarterfinal. ### Who was on the other side of the net? Felix Auger-Aliassime entered the quarterfinal as the No. 3 seed and pushed Djokovic to the limit. Wimbledon’s earlier tournament coverage noted that the Canadian had reached the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slams and arrived in the last eight after a long fourth-round win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The ATP Tour said Auger-Aliassime tested Djokovic throughout the match before falling in the deciding tiebreak. The score reflected that pressure: Auger-Aliassime took two sets and extended the match deeper than any previous Wimbledon quarterfinal. ### What comes next for Djokovic at Wimbledon? The official Wimbledon draw shows Djokovic will face Jannik Sinner in the semifinals on July 10. Wimbledon’s quarterfinal recap described it as a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Sinner won on his way to the title. Sinner is the defending champion and the top seed in the men’s draw, according to Wimbledon. The winner of that semifinal will move into the men’s singles final at the All England Club later in the tournament.