Novak Djokovic reached his 55th Grand Slam semi-final — and a record-extending 15th at Wimbledon — on Tuesday, 8 July, surviving the longest quarter-final in the history of The Championships to defeat Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(10-4) in a gruelling five hours and 15 minutes. The Serbian will now face world number one Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals on Friday.

A Record That Rewrites Wimbledon History

At 39 years and 51 days, Djokovic became the second-oldest player in the Open Era to reach the Wimbledon last four, behind only Australian legend Ken Rosewall, who was 39 years and 246 days when he reached The Championships final in 1974. The victory also took Djokovic's career wins at Wimbledon to 107, surpassing Roger Federer's previous men's record of 105, which he had already broken in the fourth round against Roman Safiullin.

This was Djokovic's 15th Wimbledon semi-final — 19 years after his first — and his eighth consecutive last-four appearance at the grass-court Major. He is now just two wins from his first Wimbledon title since 2023.

Five Sets, Four Breaks, One Calf Scare

The match was a testament to endurance over dominance. There were only four breaks of serve across the entire contest, and it took Djokovic nearly two hours to force the first. The 24-time Grand Slam champion took a medical timeout during the match for a calf injury — a concern that will be closely monitored ahead of Friday's semi-final.

Tactically, Djokovic was relentless in targeting Auger-Aliassime's backhand, wearing the Canadian down through attrition rather than outright power. He also provided a running commentary to his player box throughout, a characteristic display of on-court intensity. The match ended in a super-tiebreak, which Djokovic claimed 10-4.

Ending a Run of Losses to Top-Ten Rivals

The win snapped a run of three successive defeats to top-ten players at Wimbledon — Djokovic had lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the 2023 and 2024 finals, and to Sinner in last year's semi-finals. Notably, his form coming into this tournament had raised questions: at Roland Garros, he had led by two sets before losing to Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca.

Sinner Rematch Awaits on Friday

Friday's semi-final is a direct repeat of last year's last-four clash, when Sinner defeated Djokovic in straight sets before going on to lift the Wimbledon trophy. Djokovic will be looking to reverse that result and reignite his bid for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title and an eighth Wimbledon crown. The calf issue, however, adds an element of uncertainty to his preparation.