Image source, PA MediaImage caption, Novak Djokovic is into his 55th Grand Slam singles semi-final
Novak Djokovic produced an astonishing performance to beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in a five-set thriller lasting over five hours to set up a blockbuster Wimbledon semi-final against defending champion Jannik Sinner.
Bidding for a record 25th Grand Slam title, having been tied with Margaret Court since the 2023 US Open, it seemed like Djokovic's latest bid was on the brink when he pulled up with a leg injury in the first set.
But a medical time-out and a massage appeared to solve the problem and the 39-year-old was still fighting hard four sets later against fourth seed Auger-Aliassime.
After entertaining a packed Centre Court for five hours and 15 minutes, it was Djokovic who stood with his arms aloft in triumph after a 7-6 (12-10) 3-6 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (10-4) victory.
"I won that match with a racquet and a lot of heart," an exhausted Djokovic said.
"What can I say? These are the kind of moments I still play tennis for.
"I wish it was the final so I don't need to worry about how the body will feel tomorrow, but I'm happy that I won."
Djokovic is now, once again, two wins away from claiming the standalone record for the most Grand Slam singles titles in history.
World number one Sinner, who defeated Jan-Lennard Struff earlier on Tuesday, will be hoping to derail the Serb's efforts in a repeat of last year's semi-final.
The Italian dismissed Djokovic effortlessly on Centre Court 12 months ago - a defeat that left the seven-time Wimbledon champion lamenting his age.
"I don't think it's bad fortune. It's just age, the wear and tear of the body," he said at the time.
But Djokovic, who claimed revenge on Sinner in the semi-finals of January's Australian Open, showed on Tuesday why he remains a Grand Slam contender by overcoming a man 14-years his junior in the toughest of durability tests.
After coming through the longest match of his career at Wimbledon, Djokovic stood with his arms aloft, soaking in the applause, before doing a dance routine in tribute to his daughter.
Sinner, meanwhile, moved a step closer to defending his Wimbledon title with a composed 7-5 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 win over Germany's 74th-ranked Struff.
The Italian showed no signs of being affected by the 30C temperatures, following his struggles with the heat in his shock second-round exit at this year's French Open.
Asked about struggling in the scorching conditions at Roland Garros, Sinner dryly responded: "Thanks for reminding me!
"We worked a lot after Paris trying to understand what went wrong and prepared in the best possible way.
"It was a huge test today. I felt comfortable on the physical side, a good step forwards."
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'I'm not a morning person' - Sinner planning on a lie in for rest day
After being taken to a decider against Miomir Kecmanovic in his opening match, Sinner has not dropped a set in his past four matches.
However, not all of those victories have been straightforward as the scoreline suggests, and the top seed has yet to find his best form at SW19.
That has yet to prove a major problem for the 24-year-old, who has upped his level when needed to claim the decisive breaks and get himself over the finish line.
But, with world number 48 Nuno Borges being the highest-ranked opponent he has faced so far, it remains to be seen how he will fare against someone like Djokovic.
Against Struff, Sinner endured a slow start and was taken to deuce in three successive service games, while the 6ft 4in German cruised through his.
But Sinner clung on and remained composed to first break for a 6-5 lead before serving out the opener to take the lead.
After trading breaks in the second set, Struff had the chance to level the tie when he brought up a set point, but Sinner's serve saw him out of trouble and he breezed through the tie-break.
The four-time major winner remained relaxed as he dropped just four points on serve in the third set and, after striking the decisive blow at 4-3, confidently served out the victory to seal his spot in the final four.
Sinner finished with 16 aces, won 84% of his first-serve points and offered up just two break points to Struff in a solid performance.
"I felt like I was serving quite intelligently today, even though I was up a break," Sinner said.
"I tried to stay there mentally in every service game."
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Sinner on being 'brave' with dominant serving
Alexander Zverev was also victorious on Tuesday as he returned for his fourth round tie against Czech Jiri Lehecka after the match was stopped on Monday night because of the Wimbledon curfew of 23:00 BST.
Zverev led 6-4 7-5 3-3 when play was suspended, but Lehecka took the German second seed to a fourth set before falling to a 6-4 7-5 3-6 7-6 (8-6) defeat.
It is the first time that Zverev, last month's French Open champion, has reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 10 attempts.
He will face American sixth seed Taylor Fritz on Wednesday.
