Wimbledon 2026 | Of longevity and supreme fitness: Djokovic keeps redefining his career graph

In tennis parlance, 39 years is when your career is in its autumn. But for Novak Djokovic, it is proving to be a glorious second summer.

History-making and record-setting are like second nature to him. Yet, his performance on Tuesday (July 7, 2026), under the dazzling white lights of Centre Court and against an opponent nearly 14 years his junior, was astonishing to say the least.

The Serbian great finished on the right side of a five-hour, 15-minute slugfest to oust third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(4) and set up a much-anticipated last-four meeting with World No. 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner.

Djokovic has now reached eight straight singles semifinals at Wimbledon. It is also his 15th overall at the All England Club, equalling Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s single-Slam records at the Australian Open and French Open respectively.

In a fantastic co-incidence, Djokovic was early in the first-set tie-break when fellow 39-year-old Lionel Messi was fashioning a thrilling 3-2 World Cup win for Argentina over Egypt in far-away Atlanta.

Asked about it in the post-match press conference, the seven-time Wimbledon titlist chuckled and quipped: “It would be nice to play 90 minutes like him.”

That Djokovic was on the court for three hours and 45 minutes more – albeit in a less explosive and non-contact sport – was testament to his incredible fitness and supreme conditioning.

Djokovic’s ship did not always sail smoothly. He experienced discomfort in his left leg as early as the ninth game and called for a medical time-out. There were multiple occasions when he grimaced between points and continued stretching his legs. He also seemed out of breath after many a long-drawn rally. But he made it look enjoyable, letting out a wry smile from time to time.

It was an evening of undulating fortunes; Auger-Aliassime had set-points in the first stanza but did not capitalise; Djokovic was up a break in the fourth and yet allowed the match to drift into a decider.

But the 24-time Major winner was flawless when it was most required – in the 10-point match-tiebreak where he barely missed a shot.

It was a textbook example of how elites quarantine themselves and elevate their play. As Djokovic later mentioned, it was all about “management of nerves and the extreme tension”.

“These are still the moments I still play tennis for,” Djokovic said, after the longest quarterfinal in Wimbledon history. “I wish it was the final so that I didn’t have to worry about how the body will feel.

“But I am happy. I was telling the kids to go to sleep after the fourth set but they didn’t listen. I am glad they stayed because it was one of my best matches on this court.”