By Shrivathsa Sridhar
LONDON, July 7 (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic reached an eighth straight Wimbledon semi-final after grinding down Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(10) 3-6 6-3 6-7(4) 7-6(10-4) in an epic battle on Tuesday to set up a showdown with reigning champion Jannik Sinner.
Having surpassed Roger Federer for most match victories at the All England Club with his 106th win in the last round, the 39-year-old eclipsed the Swiss again by becoming the first man to reach the last four eight straight times.
Djokovic got there by coming through the longest quarter-final in Wimbledon history, at five hours and 15 minutes, with a gutsy display against a determined opponent who proved hard to break down for much of the contest.
“I won with a racket and a lot of heart,” Djokovic said.
“I guess it’s the management of the nerves and the extreme tension you feel in these kinds of matches. Towards the end, it was anybody’s game. The scoreline was even all the way through. It was anybody’s game in the super tiebreak in the fifth.
“What can I say? I mean, these are kinds of moments that I still play tennis for. I wish it was the final, you know, so I don’t need to worry about how the body will feel tomorrow. But yeah… I’m happy that I won.”
ANOTHER BLOCKBUSTER CLASH WITH SINNER
Djokovic’s hunt for an eighth crown to match retired rival Federer and a 25th major trophy to move past Australian Margaret Court will continue when he meets Sinner in what promises to be another blockbuster chapter in their rivalry.
“It’s just another semi-final for me. I’m going to look at the numbers and everything when I finish my career,” he said.
“Right now, it’s all business. I still have to recover. I’m still in the tournament, and I have the best player in the world in a few days.”
Djokovic, the seventh seed, chuckled after several missed chances in a long opening-set tiebreak, and had the last laugh when Auger-Aliassime blasted a volley long to surrender a set that he should have comfortably won.
A double fault from Djokovic gifted Auger-Aliassime a break to go up 5-3 in the next set and the Canadian held his nerve and serve in the next game to draw level in the contest, before the Centre Court roof was closed at around 7.40 p.m. local time.
DJOKOVIC COMPOSED AFTER COMPLAINTS
The move prompted complaints from Djokovic, but he composed himself as the third set got underway and produced cleaner ball-striking to finally break Auger-Aliassime in the sixth game and then tighten his grip on the match.
Auger-Aliassime lost his opening service game in the fourth set and let his frustrations boil over when he whacked his chair with his racket, but put up a brave display and got back on level terms via the tiebreak to force a decider.
There was no separating the pair for 12 games of the final set until Djokovic drew on his experience in the match tiebreak to finally overcome Auger-Aliassime and soak up the deafening applause from a thoroughly-entertained crowd.
“You know, I was telling my kids to go to sleep after the fourth set but they didn’t want to listen,” Djokovic added.
“I’m glad they stayed up, because it was, honestly, one of the best matches I was part of on this court, in my career.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in London; editing by Clare Fallon)
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