Novak Djokovic survived a late injury scare right at the end as he battled back to defeat Flavio Cobolli in a tense Wimbledon quarter-final.
Novak Djokovic survived a late injury scare right at the end as he battled back to defeat Flavio Cobolli in a tense Wimbledon quarter-final.
Djokovic slipped nastily in the final game, as Cobolli saved a second match point.
Yet the 24-time grand slam champion rallied to tee up a third match point, and a beautifully cushioned volley saw Djokovic prevail 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 7-5 6-4 on Centre Court.
Cobolli had been dreaming of extending his remarkable run at the All England Club when he took the first set, yet Djokovic just had too much, even if he had to withstand some pressure in the third and fourth sets.
"Give him credit for an amazing tournament, great battle today, an amazing performance to him," Djokovic said.
"I played him once, we've practiced a bit but never played on grass. I knew he was playing well.
"He played at a high level, he was serving at a really fast pace, going for his shots. He's such a talented and skilful player, he's definitely one of the guys we'll be seeing a lot of in the future."
Asked about his fall, Djokovic said: "I had a nasty slip, but that's what happens when you play on the grass. I hadn't fallen so far this year. It came at an awkward moment but somehow I found a good serve and close it out. I'll visit this subject now with my physio. Hopefully, it will be okay in two days."
Next up for Djokovic is world number one Jannik Sinner, who the Serbian lost to at Roland-Garros.
Data Debrief: Another record for Djokovic
Djokovic will be featuring in his 14th semi-final at Wimbledon, meaning he has surpassed Roger Federer (13) for the most last-four appearances at the event of any player in the Open Era.
In reaching a 52nd grand slam semi-final overall, Djokovic has equalled Chris Evert for the most major semis of any male or female players.
This was his 102nd match win at Wimbledon. At no ATP-level event has he won more matches.