Novak Djokovic loved seeing the Wimbledon crowd on their feet during his epic quarterfinal versus Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Centre Court played host to the blockbuster tie, which at five hours and 15 minutes was the longest quarterfinal in Wimbledon history.
And it was Djokovic who came out on top, battling extremely hard to beat Auger-Aliassime 7-6(12-10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7(4-7), 7-6(10-4).
The encounter finished under a closed roof just before the 11pm curfew at Wimbledon, which Djokovic discussed shortly after his victory.
What do you make of Wimbledon’s use of the roof during evening matches? 🤔
Novak Djokovic helps bring Wimbledon crowd to their feet vs Felix Auger-Aliassime
Giving his thoughts on the late matches at the Grand Slam, he said: “I mean, at the same time, it’s exciting to be part of such an epic match that was played over five hours, whatever it was.
“I don’t even know [the] exact time. Just one of the best matches I was honestly part of in Wimbledon.
“I don’t recall playing this long any match. Maybe Roger [Federer] final 2019 comes close in terms of the time and length.
“But it was really, really super even. Anyone’s game. Honestly, also Felix really played on a high level.
“He dropped his level a little bit in that super tiebreak. I used all my opportunities and hung in there, played the right shots. That was enough.
“The crowd was up on their feet, particularly the last 30 minutes of the match.
“They also recognized how special the moment is of us battling the curfew, as well, a few minutes earlier than 11.
“Yeah, just very proud to come out as a winner.”
It truly was an epic encounter, and will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the best matches ever played at Wimbledon.
But Djokovic has very little time to think about what he’s just done, with world number one Jannik Sinner now awaiting in the semifinals.
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The best in the world takes on the G.O.A.T.
Novak Djokovic surprises himself after reaching another Wimbledon semifinal
Remarkably, it isn’t the first lengthy run at a Grand Slam this season for Djokovic, who made it to the Australian Open final at the start of the year.
Moreover, the 39-year-old made it to the semifinals of all four majors in 2025, despite his age and the youth of many around him.
Asked if he is surprised by himself given what he’s still capable of, he said: “I mean, yes and no.
“I guess yes, at this stage that I’m still able to battle these young guys that have 15 years less than me, that I’m able to beat them at the tightest possible scoreline.
“Of course, in a sense, it is really a nice surprise. But at the same time, I always have the highest expectations for myself.
“I can be very self-critical, very hard on myself. At the same time, I try to also enjoy the moments like this. I don’t know what tomorrow brings.
“To be honest, let’s see. I’m still in the tournament. I still want to go at least one more step further. But this was as good as a final for me. I gave it all that I had, gave it my best.
“I think it was [a] really thrilling experience for us players, but also [the] crowd present in the stadium, I’m sure also a lot of people watching on TV. Glad to be part of another historic match.”
Djokovic will now be aiming to rest as much as possible ahead of his clash with Sinner, which may just be another epic given their history.
The pair have met 11 times throughout their ATP careers, with the Italian holding a very narrow 6-5 advantage over the Serbian.
