Novak Djokovic achieved a significant victory in the longest quarterfinal match at Wimbledon, defeating Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime. The match, filled with tension and drama, ended with a score of 7-6 (12-10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (7-4), 7-6 (10-4) and lasted 5 hours, 15 minutes.
The Serbian tennis star, 39, faced an intense battle with his opponent, but an unexpected controversy added further drama. During the match, Djokovic engaged in a heated discussion with tournament supervisor Denise Parnell about the decision to close the roof.
A disagreement arose when Parnell decided that evening conditions warranted closing the roof after the second set. Djokovic opposed this, favoring an open roof, arguing, “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 reminded Parnell of previous matches where the roof remained open until 8.30pm, questioning the consistency of the rules. Despite Djokovic’s protests, the official announcement confirmed the closure of the roof.
Auger-Aliassime, seemingly in agreement with Djokovic, queried Parnell, “So, for sure we close now?” This interruption didn’t prevent Djokovic from securing the third set with a 6-3 victory.
With his triumph over Auger-Aliassime, Djokovic became the oldest player to reach the Wimbledon semifinals in over half a century. The 24-time Grand Slam champion will next face Jannik Sinner, the defending champion, at Centre Court.
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