Wimbledon 2026: Djokovic Survives Longest Quarterfinal In Tournament History, Breaks Roger Federer's Record

 

 

Novak Djokovic continued his legacy in the Tennis world, beating Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime in the longest-ever quarterfinal in the history of the Wimbledon tournament. With the victory, he booked a mouth-watering clash in the semifinals against defending champion Jannik Sinner.

The seven-time Wimbledon champions outplayed the 25-year-old Canadian 7-6 (10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4) in a clash that lasted for five hours and 15 minutes. The duo broke the previous record on Centre Court, breaking the previous record for the longest last 8 clash at the All England Club.

The gripping contest culminated in the fifth set, where both players seemed out of fuel after five hours of relentless baseline exchanges. One of the defining moments in the set was a 22-shot rally where Djokovic forced Felix Auger-Aliassime to run from corner to corner. The Canadian was tired with exhaustion, and he pushed a forehand wide to give the Serbian a 9-4 lead in the tiebreak.

Djokovic said that it is a nice surprise that he is still able to beat guys 15 years younger than him.

"I'm still able to battle these young guys that have 15 years less than me. I'm able to beat them at the tightest possible scoreline. In a sense, it is really a nice surprise. But at the same time, I always have the highest expectations for myself."

 

He surpassed Roger Federer to become the first male player to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon for the eighth consecutive time.

This is the 15th time the player has qualified for a Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon and the 55th time overall in his career.

 

Djokovic became the second-oldest player (39 years and 38 days old) to reach the Wimbledon men's singles semi-finals after Ken Rosewall (39 years and 234 days) in 1974.

 

Sinner vs Djokovic semifinal

The blockbuster semi-final between Djokovic and Sinner, who are aiming for a record 25th Grand Slam title and Roger Federer's record of eight Wimbledon titles, will take place on Friday (July 10). Sinner leads the head-to-head record between the two 6-5. But Djokovic will be confident after defeating Sinner in a five-set battle in this year's Australian Open semi-final.