Can Djokovic’s resilience topple Sinner in Wimbledon semi-final?

How does a 39-year-old player survive five hours and 15 minutes of brutal tennis, nursing a calf injury, to reach his eighth consecutive Wimbledon semi-final? Novak Djokovic answered that question on Tuesday by defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6 (12/10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (10/4) in what became Wimbledon’s longest ever quarter-final. The match was a masterclass in grit—Djokovic suffered the calf injury in the first set but refused to yield.

This victory marks a historic milestone for Djokovic. At 39, he becomes only the second player in the Open era to reach Wimbledon’s semi-finals at that age or older, following Ken Rosewall’s achievement in 1974. The Serbian has now reached his record-extending 15th Wimbledon semi-final and his 55th Grand Slam semi-final. He also holds a new record for consecutive Wimbledon semi-final appearances, surpassing Roger Federer.

Next up on Friday: world number one Jannik Sinner, the defending Wimbledon champion. Sinner dispatched Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets on Tuesday, reaching his third Wimbledon semi-final and his 10th Grand Slam semi-final.

The women’s draw has produced two first-time Wimbledon semi-finalists. Coco Gauff, 22 and a two-time major champion, beat Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to reach her first Wimbledon semi-final. She won her most recent major at the French Open last year. With this run, Gauff became the youngest player to appear in all four Grand Slam semi-finals since Maria Sharapova in 2007.

Karolina Muchova also sealed her breakthrough, edging Naomi Osaka 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 for her first Wimbledon semi-final. At 29, Muchova had never advanced past the first round in her four previous Wimbledon visits. The Czech player’s run comes on the heels of winning the grass-court tournament at Bad Homburg in June. Gauff and Muchova will face each other in the women’s semi-final.

Alexander Zverev wrapped up his delayed last-16 match against Jiri Lehecka on Wednesday, winning 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (8/6). The French Open champion’s tie had been stopped by the 2200 GMT curfew on Monday when Zverev was up two sets. He meets sixth seed Taylor Fritz in the quarter-final.