Ageless. Timeless. A true freak of nature. Novak Djokovic is into yet another Wimbledon semi-final, having outlasted Felix Auger Aliassime in a five-set thriller earlier tonight.
It was a match that, at one stage, was completely on his racket. He led by a break in the fourth set, but saw his lead slip away before being dragged into an almighty dogfight with a player 14 years his junior.
And yet, at the crucial moment in the deciding tiebreak, the 24-time Grand Slam champion stepped up his game to another level.
He is a truly other-worldly athlete, and words fail to describe what he continues to achieve year after year.
Speaking on court, an emotionally and physically drained Novak Djokovic tried his best to sum up what he described as one of his greatest ever nights on Wimbledon’s Centre Court.
Novak Djokovic reacts after winning 5-set thriller in Wimbledon semi-finals
Asked how he managed to win that match, he chuckled as he replied: “With racket and a lot of heart.”
The Serbian continued: “A lot of management of the nerves and the extreme tension that you feel in these kinds of matches. Towards the end it was anybody’s game. I think the scoreline was pretty much even all the way through. That is kind of a reality image or presentation of this kind of match today.
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“It was really anybody’s game in the super tiebreak in the fifth. What can I say? These are the kind of moments that I still play tennis for, for sure.
“I wish it was the final, so I don’t need to worry about how the body will feel tomorrow. But I am happy, I am happy that I won!”
Then, discussing how important it was to have his family there, Djokovic joked: “I was telling the kids to go to sleep after the fourth, but they did not want to listen. I am glad they stayed because it was honestly one of the best matches I have been part of in my career on this court.”
The interviewer was keen to read the 39-year-old another statistic about his career, with this marking his 55th Grand Slam semi-final, and an eighth consecutive at Wimbledon.
Djokovic dismissed this quickly though, adding: “That’s great, but it’s just another semi-final for me. I am going to look at all the numbers when I retire. Right now it’s all business, I still have to recover, and I have the best player in the world in a few days’ time.”
This all came after Djokovic issued a strong complaint to Wimbledon about their decision to close the roof; a decision that fortunately did not result in his eventual defeat.
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As he alluded to at the end of his speech, the race is now on to get his 39-year-old body fit and ready for the ultimate challenge that tennis has to offer.
After all, on Friday, he will bid to dethrone the defending Wimbledon champion and current world number one, Jannik Sinner.
Few will give him much of a chance, particularly after tonight’s match went on way past five hours.
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However, to bet against Djokovic is to court embarrassment.
Throughout his entire career, he has relished the opportunity to prove people wrong, and although he may have lost five of his last six matches against Sinner, he will hold on to the fact that the sole victory came in their most recent meeting, interestingly in the semi-finals of the Australian Open.
Regardless of the outcome, this is a match-up that will bring the entire tennis world to a standstill.
