With his 33rd consecutive triumph at Wimbledon, in his 400th Grand Slam match, Nole is through to his 46th major semi-final, equalling Roger Federer’s record.
Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic returned to Centre Court for the third straight day. The second seed recorded a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 win to stay on track for his record-tying eighth Wimbledon title and his 24th major trophy.
Rublev started strong, converting his first break point of the match at 4-4, which was enough to win the opening set.
Novak quickly regrouped to dominate the second set, racing to a 5-0 lead, letting his rival win only one game before closing it out.
The third set proved to be decisive, with both players performing their best tennis. The Serbian star broke in the fifth game and saved three break points as he served for a two-sets-to-one lead. He won the longest game of the match, fighting through six deuces.
Djokovic capitalised on two break point chances in the fourth set to claim the victory. He now leads the pair’s ATP H2H series 4-1.
Match statistics: aces (5-6), double faults (1-2), winners (41-32), unforced errors (23-25), total points won (120-96).
Novak will meet no.8 seed Jannik Sinner (2-0 H2H record) in Friday’s semi-finals (14.30 CET).
Photo: Profimedia
