Novak Djokovic survived the longest quarter-final in Wimbledon history, defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in five thrilling sets to set up a mouth-watering last-four showdown with Jannik Sinner, while Coco Gauff wrote history for herself by defeating Jessica Pegula to reach the semi-finals of all four majors.
Djokovic was injured in the first set, but the former champion lasted five hours and 15 minutes in sweltering temperatures on Tuesday, fighting through pain for the rest of the way to a breathtaking 7-6 (12/10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (10/4) victory.
The indomitable 39-year-old will face world number one Sinner on Friday for a place in the final.
While Sinner defeated German veteran Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets, Djokovic had to go even further to defeat Canada’s No. 3 seed Auger-Aliassime in one of the gutsiest performances in Wimbledon history.
The question now is whether the Serbian has anything left in the tank to defeat the defending champion.
Asked how he saw off Auger-Aliassime, Djokovic said: “Hold my racket and put my heart into it. I can control the nerves and the extreme tension that you feel in this kind of match.”
“Towards the end, it really was anyone’s game. What can I say? These moments are definitely why I still play tennis.”
“I told the kids to go to bed. I’m glad they stayed because it was one of the best games of my career on this court.”
Djokovic, who won a record 25 Grand Slam titles and tied Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles, won five of the 11 matches he played against Sinner.
Two of those wins against Sinner came at Wimbledon in 2022 and 2023, but Sinner lost to the Italian in the 2025 semifinals and avenged that loss in the last four at the Australian Open in January.
“I wish it was the final so I didn’t have to worry about my physical condition tomorrow. But yeah, I’m happy,” said an exhausted Djokovic.
As always for the seven-time Wimbledon champion, each match brings a wealth of statistics that highlight Djokovic’s incredible longevity and incredible hunger for success.
He reached a record-extending 15th Wimbledon semifinal and 55th Grand Slam semifinal.
He has reached the last four at Wimbledon for eight consecutive years, setting a new record for the longest consecutive men’s singles semi-final appearances at the All England Club, surpassing Roger Federer.
Djokovic becomes the second player over the age of 39 to reach the Wimbledon men’s semi-finals in the Open era, the first being Ken Rosewall in 1974.
“It’s just another semi-final for me. When I finish my career, I’ll look at all the numbers and everything,” Djokovic said.
Muchova beats Osaka, sets up Gauff semi-final
Karolina Muchova used her athleticism, variety of shots and a close contest to defeat four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka 7-6 (4), 6-4, setting her up to face American Gauff in the Wimbledon semifinals.
The evenly matched pair went into the tie with a head-to-head record of 3-3, with both players showing quality tennis despite the scorching temperatures on Court 1.
The 29-year-old Czech, aiming for her first Grand Slam title, proved to be the more consistent player with 21 unforced errors to Osaka’s 42, with both teams hitting 24 winners each.
Despite a tense start with four consecutive service breaks, the encounter drew cheers from the crowd.
Muchova countered the ferocious hitting of her Japanese rival with a delicate touch at the net, and used serve and volleys and drop shots to disrupt the match.
She said the 14th seed tried to match Osaka’s speed by hitting hard all the way to the line.
“When she came up short with the ball, I just tried to change it up a little bit by going for a slice or going to the net,” Muchova said.
I love grass
The Czech, who reached the clay-court French Open final in 2023 but now prefers grass, stayed in front in the tie-break and took the set with a forehand winner on her third set point.
Osaka, 28, defeated top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round. However, in the ninth game of the second set, she lost her sense of consistency as she committed two double faults along with two aces, missed a drive volley and dropped her serve.
“I feel tough because I played very well in the last game, but today I didn’t play well at all and I feel like I didn’t have any energy,” Osaka said.
“It felt like my legs were completely gone. Then I felt like I couldn’t take any more steps. It was a really weird feeling, like my legs were separated from my upper body.”
Muchova, the 10th seed, served out and finished with an ace to advance to her first Wimbledon semifinal.
She is poised to be pushed hard by No. 7 seed Gauff, who has won six of her seven tour matches and defeated compatriot Pegula earlier Tuesday.
“She’s a great athlete overall,” Muchova said. “He’s one of the best players in the world in our sport.
“I’m happy it was 0-0 on grass, grass is a little more balanced for me.
