Novak Djokovic spent Tuesday night doing what he has made a career out of doing: refusing to go away.
At 39, he survived Felix Auger-Aliassime in a five-hour, 15-minute grind on Center Court, the longest Wimbledon quarterfinal ever, and booked a semifinal meeting with world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. The match had everything a Djokovic survival act usually does - a slow squeeze, a burst of frustration, a physical scare, and then, somehow, the veteran still standing at the end.
Auger-Aliassime made him work for every inch. The 25-year-old Canadian hit more winners, converted break points at a better rate, and became only the second player after Roger Federer to push Djokovic to a fifth-set tiebreak at Wimbledon. Even with that edge, it still wasn’t enough to finish him off.
The first set hinted at just how much Djokovic would have to dig. Serving at 4-all, he clutched at his left calf after a backhand.
He held for 5-4, but the discomfort was obvious enough that he stretched the leg and called for the physiotherapist and a medical timeout. From there, he still found a way to escape a break point at 5-all and then outlasted Auger-Aliassime in a first-set tiebreak that set the tone for the whole night, saving three set points before taking it 7-6 (10).
That was Djokovic in miniature: battered, irritated, and still impossible to bury.
The numbers, though, showed how hard he had to fight himself as much as his opponent. He won just 33% of his receiving points and converted only two of 13 break points, an unusually shaky return night for the greatest returner in tennis history.
At times, his concentration slipped. At others, he was locked in and absorbing everything Auger-Aliassime could throw at him.
The frustration spilled over after the second set, when Djokovic took issue with Wimbledon tournament referee Denise Parnell over the decision to close the Center Court roof at 7:40 p.m.
“We can play a whole another set outdoors. We're an outdoor tournament," Djokovic said.
"You remember the first round? You didn't close it until like 8:20, 8:30 and now you want to close it at 7:40.
Where's the consistency? You're so proud of your rules and you're not sticking to any kind of rules.”
Once he got that out, he reset. Djokovic took the third set 6-3 behind a sharp serving display, landing 81% of his first serves.
From there, the match became a test of nerve, balance, and sheer stubbornness. When Auger-Aliassime attacked the baseline, Djokovic kept stretching, lunging, and getting enough racquet on enough balls to make the Canadian hit one more shot.
That last tiebreak was where the old master took over. Djokovic stayed calm while Auger-Aliassime’s errors started to pile up, six of them in the breaker alone. By the end, the Serbian had turned the match into exactly the kind of pressure chamber he knows best.
“With racket and a lot of heart and management of the nerves," Djokovic said on court after the win. “These are the kind of moments that I still play tennis for.”
The result put him into the semifinals as the oldest major semifinalist since 42-year-old Ken Rosewall at the 1977 Australian Open. And it came with the clock ticking down, too: Djokovic finished the job six minutes before the 11 p.m. curfew at the All-England Club.
Time showed up. Djokovic sent it away again.