Djokovic’s Dramatic Win in Wimbledon Quarterfinals

Novak Djokovic won the longest quarterfinal in Wimbledon history on Wednesday against Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime. Despite the victory, the match was not free from drama.

At 39, Djokovic rallied to a 7-6 (12-10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (7-4), 7-6 (10-4) win. The match lasted an exhausting 5 hours and 15 minutes. Yet, the excitement did not stop at the thrilling points.

During the match, Djokovic argued with tournament supervisor Denise Parnell about closing the roof. Parnell believed that the evening conditions required the roof to be closed after the second set, while Djokovic preferred to keep it open.

You don’t want to get to 8.30pm? It’s 7.40pm now. We can play a whole another set outdoors. We’re an outdoor tournament, Djokovic stated.

Djokovic questioned the consistency of the decisions, referring to a previous instance when the roof was left open until later in the evening.

Despite Djokovic’s protests, the decision to close the roof was made. Auger-Aliassime, his opponent, seemed to agree with Djokovic.

Djokovic, however, continued his momentum, winning the third set 6-3 indoors. With this triumph, he became the oldest man to reach the Wimbledon semifinals in over 50 years.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion is set to face Jannik Sinner, the defending champion, on Friday on Centre Court.