(Tennis news) Cameron Norrie defeated David Goffin in an epic five set encounter 3-6 7-5 2-6 6-3 7-5 to set up a match against defending champion Novak Djokovic. The result meant that Norrie joined Andy Murray, Tim Henman and Roger Taylor by reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals. After a slow start, Norrie showed great grit and determination to overcome Goffin in a contest that lasted three-hour and 28-minutes. 

In the on-court interview after the match, Norrie said “I'm so happy to get through with such a great team, a great family and great friends here. It wasn't going my way from the beginning, I wasn't feeling good or feeling the ball and that's all credit to David. I couldn't find my game but thanks to you guys [the crowd], I managed to stay as patient as I could. It was all just adrenaline, I just used my legs at the end and tried to put the ball in the court. It was great to get over the line, for sure." 

Ahead is a tough test for Norrie as Novak Djokovic will be the toughest test the British player will face in the tournament. The last time these two met was in the 2021 Nitto ATP finals with Djokovic winning in straight sets 6-2 6-1. Speaking about his upcoming match, Djokovic said “I'm going to enjoy that [against Djokovic]. Take it to him and hopefully you guys can get behind me again. I'm looking forward to it." 

Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic defeated Jannik Sinner in the other quarter-final match 5-7 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-2 in three hours and 35 minutes on Centre Court. The Serbian needed all his experience to overturn the deficit in order to reach his 11th Wimbledon semi-final of his career. Speaking after the match, Djokovic said “He was the better player for two sets. I had a little refreshment off court [between sets], a toilet break and a little pep talk in the mirror… it's actually true. Sometimes, when not much is happening positively for you on the court in terms of tennis and the other guy is dominating, these things [pep talks] are necessary." 

By defeating Sinner, Djokovic is now unbeaten on Centre Court in nine years, having lost to Andy Murray in 2013. The Serbian got off to a flying start, racing ahead to a 3-0 lead but double faults and sloppy serves allowed Sinner to get back into the game and draw level. After a series of setbacks, the Serbian found his rhythm again and made a stunning comeback in the third set. Sinner injured his left ankle in the fourth set while chasing a drop shot but did not require a medical timeout. However, the setback seemed to have an effect on the 20 year old who needed to shorten his points, eventually resulting in a loss.

Also read: Nadal, Kyrgios and Norrie reach Wimbledon quarter-finals