39-year-olds keep making age look silly, as a certain Novak Djokovic followed suit to Lionel Messi, delivering an epic win on the same day that the Argentine legend steered his team into the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals. Djokovic, the parallel legend in the tennis world, overcame a marathon five-hour and 15-minute five-setter against Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime to march into the semifinals of Wimbledon 2026.ย
Djokovic battled a first-set lower-leg issue but did not let himself dwindle as he overcame the longest-ever quarterfinal in Wimbledon history to reach an eighth consecutive semifinal appearance, a new record which saw him go past Roger Federer. A certain Jannik Sinner awaits the Serb legend now in the semifinal as he bids for his 25th Grand Slam at an age when people can hardly compete.ย
Djokovic kept pushing the Canadian side to side and corner to corner. Then Auger-Aliassime, who has one of the top-rated forehands on the tour, went wide on his forehand to give the Serb the 9-4 lead in the fifth-set tie-breaker as both players leaned on their rackets in exhaustion from having played for over five hours. Djokovic, the seventh seed, had a match point, and he converted it on the first time of asking as a big forehand from him forced the third-seed Canadian into an error as the Serb icon overcame a stern test to win the match 7-6 (10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4). Lionel Messi vibes were mandatory to follow after Djokovic’s win.
Djokovic’s special comparison to Messi
It was a day for the two 39-year-olds. For one at the Atlanta Stadium and for the other on the Wimbledon centre court. It was inevitable not to mention the other 39-year-old legend after Djokovic’s marathon win. “Unbelievable how Messi is 39 years old and still scoring goals. And you win after 5 hours and 15 minutes,” a journalist said during the media conference. “I would like to play 90 minutes like him, but…,” Djokovic quipped in reply.
The Serb showed he has still got it, just like the Argentine talisman, who put a much-needed assist in the 79th minute for Cristian Romero and then scored one four minutes later. Both are on a mission that is no joke. One to defend the FIFA World Cup and become the first team to win back-to-back titles since Brazil’s epic 1962 defence. The other is on a mission to go where no player has gone, men or women, as he bids for a 25th Grand Slam and break free of Margaret Court’s 24.
Djokovic rates this “one of the best matches” he played
Djokovic has ranked this one the best matches he has played at the SW19, the tournament where he is a seven-time winner. “I wish it was finals, so I don’t need to worry about how the body will feel tomorrow,” Djokovic said. “I was telling the kids to go to sleep after the fourth (set) but they didn’t want to listen. I’m glad they stayed because it was honestly one of the best matches I was part of on this court in my career.”
Up against him will be Sinner now, the same opponent who defeated him in straight sets at the All England Club last year and the Italian opponent whom Djokovic beat at the Australian Open semifinals this year in a five-set thriller.ย
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