Novak Djokovic Jokes About Fellow 39-Year-Old Lionel Messi After Heroic Wimbledon Quarterfinals Win: “Would Be Nice to Play 90 Minutes Like Him”

Novak Djokovic has set up a blockbuster Wimbledon semifinal against defending champion Jannik Sinner.

Novak Djokovic Jokes About Fellow 39-Year-Old Lionel Messi After Heroic Wimbledon Quarterfinals Win: “Would Be Nice to Play 90 Minutes Like Him”

Novak Djokovic, Lionel Messi (Image via Wimbledon, The Citizen)

And Novak Djokovic once again showed why, even at the age of 39, he is still a lethal competitor. In a gruelling five-hour, 15 ­minute battle, Djokovic prevailed 7-6 (10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4) against Felix Auger-Aliassime on Tuesday (July 7) in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.

Against an opponent 15 years his junior, Djokovic knew that inching closer to the semifinal would require a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. The Centre Court crowd expected nothing short of an epic thriller after witnessing the first set.

But Djokovic only wished that instead of a five-hour-long match, he could have played for 90 minutes, just like fellow 39-year-old Lionel Messi. Both Djokovic and Messi produced heroics in their respective matches on the same day- Djokovic on Centre Court and Messi at the Atlanta Stadium during Argentina’s World Cup match versus Egypt.

“It would be nice to play 90 minutes like him!,” said Djokovic at the press conference when told how unbelievable it is that Messi is scoring goals and he is winning long matches at this stage of their respective careers.

In the World Cup, the defending champions trailed 2-0 thanks to goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico. Just 20 minutes were left. Messi was seen in distress, knowing this could be his last World Cup appearance.

With just 11 minutes remaining, Cristiano Romero scored with a header off Messi’s assist. And about four minutes later, the Argentine legend helped his team level the scores.

Then, in stoppage time, Enzo Fernandez hit a header to the utter disappointment of their opponents. It was Messi’s eighth goal in just five matches.

In their first group-stage match against Algeria, Messi scored his first-ever World Cup hat-trick, before scoring against Austria, Jordan, Cabo Verde, and now against Egypt. Argentina has set up a quarterfinal match against Switzerland, who beat Colombia 4-3 on penalties.

But the match versus Egypt was not at all without some controversy, with high-profile names from the soccer world accusing match officials of providing preferential treatment to Messi and his team.

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Novak Djokovic sets up blockbuster match against Jannik Sinner

Novak Djokovic, who has now improved his head-to-head record over Felix Auger-Aliassime to 2-1, reached his 15th semifinal at SW19. The 24-time Grand Slam champion, who last won a title here back in 2022 by defeating Nick Kyrgios, lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the finals in 2023 and 2024.

Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner (2)
Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Wimbledon, Jannik Sinner HQ)

I won that match with a racket and a lot of heart. I had to do a lot of nerve management, and I had to deal with the extreme tension that you feel in these kind of matches. Towards the end, it was really anybody’s game. I think the scoreline was pretty much even all the way through, that’s a realistic representation of this match today. It was really anybody’s game in that super tie-break.

Novak Djokovic said at the press conference

And now Djokovic is gearing up for a blockbuster semifinal. To reach his second Grand Slam final of the year, he has to overcome none other than World No.1 Jannik Sinner.

These are the kind of moments I still play tennis for, that’s for sure. I wish it was the final so I don’t need to worry about how the body will feel tomorrow, but yes, I’m happy that I won. It certainly does carry more significance [when I win like that]. I was telling my 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’ve been a part of on this court in my career.

Novak Djokovic added

Djokovic trails 5-6 in the head-to-head matchups versus the Italian ace, and snapped his five-match losing streak with a five-set win in this year’s Australian Open final. The defending champion in last year’s Wimbledon final defeated Alcaraz.

Also read: Jannik Sinner Spotted with Bandage on His Shoulder During Wimbledon Quarterfinals