Before that we’ve got a tremendous Thursday in store, with Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek bidding to set up a first grand slam final against each other – what a prospect that is – as they face the underdogs Amanda Anisimova and Belinda Bencic respectively,Do join Daniel for coverage of those matches, and I’ll be back on Friday,Thanks for your company, as always,Bye!The men’s semi-finals are set,And Friday can’t come soon enough:Jannik Sinner v Novak Djokovic Carlos Alcaraz v Taylor FritzDjokovic’s numbers are ridiculous.

It’s a 14th Wimbledon semi-final.A 52nd slam semi-final.Both are records.And of course he’s still chasing that elusive 25th major title, which would take him past Margaret Court and into sole possession of the all-time record.Tim Henman reckons it’s only a “six and a half or seven out of 10” for Djokovic today.

But he got the job done.And, as long as there’s no hangover from that slip, I’d back him to crank it up against Sinner.Whether it’s enough, let’s see.But he’ll definitely need to play better against the world No 1.“Huge congratulations to Flavio for an amazing tournament and great battle today,” says Djokovic.

“He’s such a talented and skilful player, definitely one of the guys we will be seeing more in the future so I wish him all the best and his team.”Of his fall at the end, he says: “Well I finished the match.It was a nasty slip and that’s what happens when you play on grass.It came at an awkward moment but I managed to close it out.I will visit this subject with my physio and hopefully all will be well in two days.

”An unreturned serve, 15-0.An ace down the T, 30-0.Cobolli offers some resistance with a Pete Sampras-style slam dunk.But another ace and it’s 40-15.Djokovic looks ready to celebrate on the first match point … but Cobolli’s crushing return lands just in! And Djokovic slips over on the worn baseline on the second match point, as Cobolli unleashes again with his forehand! Cobolli comes over to check if Djokovic is OK.

He seems to be.Amid all the drama, it’s deuce.And soon Djokovic’s advantage, a third MP.Djokovic has the easiest put away at the net and the seven-times champion sets up that blockbuster against Sinner! Djokovic applauds his beaten opponent off court; Cobolli’s breakout run is over.The Italian said before the match he watched videos of his idol every day.

He may not want to watch this again for a little while,Despite the impending heatwave, Cobolli looks as if he may be about to get his coat, as he slides 30-40 down,Drop serve here and Djokovic will be serving for a place in the semi-finals,Djokovic does a few splits and stretches as he waits to receive … before defending superbly and getting the break when Cobolli inexplicably nets his volley! Djokovic leads 6-7, 6-2, 7-5, 5-4,A collective Wimblegasp as an unfortunate net cord puts Cobolli 15-30 down.

And a collective roar as he thunders a forehand winner on the next point.They want a fifth set.They may yet get it, as Cobolli holds from 30-all.And here’s Gregory Phillips: “Surfaces make the GOAT thing harder in tennis.Sure, Djokovic has the numbers.

But you can’t call him the GOAT when he isn’t the GOAT on clay, and clearly that’s Nadal.I’d argue Djokovic isn’t the GOAT on grass either; Federer took him to a final set tie-break at Wimbledon in 2019, when Fed was a decade past his best.No way Djokovic could have lived with him at Wimbledon in 2004-05.Federer is the grass GOAT.But it’s also unfair to call Federer or Nadal the overall GOAT as Djokovic has so many numerical records.

I just think of them all as Supreme, Highly Exceptional Event Players (SHEEP).I’ll get my coat …”Cobolli holds despite giving Djokovic a look at too many second serves.He should really then be 0-15 up on Djokovic’s serve, as he chases down the drop shot with relative ease, but he makes the wrong shot selection with an attempted lob, which Djokovic pats away.So instead it’s 15-0.And very soon 40-0.

And game,At 3-3, there’s still nothing between them in this fourth set,But back to the matter at hand,Cobolli gives Djokovic a glimmer at 15-30 but no more,Djokovic zips through to love.

It’s 2-2,Djokovic holds to 30, after a fun game of cat and mouse on the final point, as my mind wanders to the thought of Djokovic v Sinner in the semi-finals,Sinner has beaten Djokovic in their past two grand slam meetings, at this year’s French Open and last year’s Australian Open, but Djokovic has got the better of Sinner twice at Wimbledon before, in 2022 and 2023,But that was before the Italian turned into a winning machine and numero uno,With Sinner near the peak of his powers (as long as his elbow holds up) and Djokovic seeing this tournament as his greatest chance to get that elusive slam #25, it could be an absolute cracker.

Cobolli is the first to serve in the fourth set, and this is surely a game that he can’t afford to lose, as Fabio Fognini, his fellow Italian who announced his retirement from tennis today, looks on from the box.Only 10 days ago Fognini was on the court, taking Alcaraz all the way.How quickly life can change.Fognini is applauding his protege when Cobolli survives from deuce; Djokovic is ramming his racket into his foot.He wanted the break.

And here are the highlights:Fancy a match report on Sinner? Sure you do.15-0, 30-0, as Djokovic drags Cobolli around the court on a piece of string, before reeling him in with a drop shot that the Italian can’t reach.40-0.Djokovic opts to serve-volley on set point but plants his volley into the net! But an ace settles matters.Djokovic leads 6-7, 6-2, 7-5.

This is the first time Cobolli’s been behind in sets this fortnight.And it’s a long.way.back.from here against the seven-times champ.

Djokovic, never one to be outdone, replies with a love hold of his own.It’s 5-5.Cobolli dealt so well with the clutch moments in the first set, but perhaps he’s mentally tiring here in his first grand slam quarter-final (it’s Djokovic’s 63rd!!!), because it’s soon 15-40, two break points, as Cobolli goes for a low-percentage shot down the line and misses.Cobolli then flings a forehand well wide and Djokovic, the coolest man in the stadium, strides back to his chair to grab an ice towel.He’ll shortly serve for the third set.

Cobolli nudges ahead to 5-4.Though nudge perhaps isn’t the right word given he’s just held to love.The 23-year-old has got a spring in his step as he runs back to his chair at the changeover; the 38-year-old Djokovic is trudging to his and has a face of thunder, even though there’s still a splash of evening sun on Centre Court.Djokovic, having been a break up in this third set, must hold serve to stay in it.“Novak GOAT talk is recency bias, how can all sports in the world have a goat within the last 20 years, hmmmm,” ponders Jeff Peters.

I agree it can be easier to acclaim what’s most recent in our memories, but I think the only fair way to settle the debate is with numbers,Everything else seems too subjective,So personally I’d give Novak his GOATness, with his 24 (maybe 25 pending) slams … but that doesn’t mean he’s the greatest in my eyes in terms of the emotions stirred, the beauty of his play etc,For me that would be Federer,But you could call that recency bias too.

Meanwhile, from 3-2 Cobolli, it’s now 4-4, with Cobolli serving at 15-0.After Cameron Norrie’s exit yesterday, here’s Tumaini’s assessment of the British players’ performances this fortnight:Cobolli is seeing the tennis ball like a football now.Perhaps no surprise, given he’s also a fine footballer and was once in Roma’s academy.He rattles through his serve to love, pinging three winners past Djokovic in the process.The longest rally of the match – 20 shots – and Cobolli emerges victorious! Centre Court rises to salute the Italian underdog.

He’s 0-30 ahead.But Djokovic’s serve is stinging and Cobolli can’t respond.On the next point Djokovic rolls in a slow second serve but Cobolli is punished for being too passive.30-all.40-30.

And another lung-busting rally, to rival the one earlier in the game, again ends in Cobolli’s favour! Even elastic (or plastic?) man at full stretch can reach breaking point.And Cobolli clobbers a return winner on break point to break back! It’s 2-2.Djokovic asserts his authority with a hold to love.Cobolli, commendably, steadies himself to do the same.But it’s Djokovic who still has the break, leading 6-7, 6-2, 2-1.

While all this was going on, Djokovic broke Cobolli again on his way to a 6-2 second set – which took not even half the time of that 68-minute opener,Cobolli walks off court – but when he returns he looks rather lost, immediately dropping serve to 15,Djokovic could be about to do to Cobolli what he did to De Minaur in the previous round: give his opponent a head start and then dominate from there,“The feelings are definitely different [to the great escape against Dimitrov],” says a smiling Sinner,“I’m very happy with this performance, playing against him is so difficult.

We play each other more and more, we get to know each other a little bit better, and I’m looking forward to these kind of battles,My elbow has improved a lot from yesterday to today,”So it’s a fourth consecutive grand slam semi-final for the US Open and Australian Open champion, and a second semi at Wimbledon,Sinner said after Dimitrov’s retirement in the fourth round that it didn’t feel like a win,This will.

He’s made the most of his reprieve and that match now looks like a brief blip.And despite the heavy strapping to protect his elbow injury, he didn’t look too troubled physically.He’ll be ready for Djokovic or an all-Italian affair with Cobolli in the last four.Djokovic has broken Cobolli for 3-2 in the second.Not that I really saw any of it; I’m too busy watching Sinner v Shelton