Novak Djokovic Created one of the greatest escapes of his life Wimbledon before making a lighthearted quip. Lionel MessiJoking that he would gladly trade more than five hours on the tennis court for 90 minutes with the Argentina captain football match.The 39-year-old Serbian beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Wimbledon quarterfinals on Tuesday in a record-breaking five hours and 15 minutes. He was then asked to compare himself to another sporting icon his age who is still competing at the highest level – Argentina captain Lionel Messi.Djokovic did not comment on Messi’s longevity but jokingly mentioned the difference in match duration.“It would be great to play 90 minutes like him,” Djokovic said with a smile after spending more than five hours on Center Court.
Argentina’s stunning comeback
Djokovic’s humorous comments came just hours after Messi led Argentina to one of the most dramatic victories of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.The defending champions looked destined for elimination after falling 2-0 to Egypt, with Yasser Ibrahim opening the scoring before Mustafa Chico doubled the Pharaohs’ advantage in the 67th minute.Messi’s night also hardly went to plan. He saw Mustafa Schobel save a penalty, hit the crossbar from a free kick and saw the Egyptian goalkeeper deny Argentina on several occasions.But the momentum shifted dramatically late in the game. Cristian Romero headed in Messi’s free-kick in the 79th minute and the captain equalized four minutes later with a thunderous strike.In stoppage time, Enzo Fernandez completed a stunning comeback and calmly scored the winning goal, sealing the victory 3-2 and taking Argentina into the quarter-finals against Switzerland.Also read: Tearful Lionel Messi held high as Argentina dressing room and Buenos Aires erupt after epic escape | WATCH
Djokovic wins Wimbledon marathon again
Meanwhile, Djokovic is participating in his own epic.The seven-time Wimbledon champion defeated Auger-Aliassime 7-6 (10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4) in the longest quarter-final in Wimbledon history to reach a record eighth consecutive semi-final at the All England Club.“These are the moments when I still play tennis,” Djokovic said.Reflecting on another marathon victory, he added: “I was still able to fight against these young guys who are 15 years younger than me. I was able to beat them in the tightest possible score. In a sense, this is indeed a nice surprise. But at the same time, I always have the highest expectations for myself. “The Serbian also admitted that he wished the game could be shorter.“I hope it’s the final so I don’t have to worry about how my body will feel tomorrow… I’m glad they stayed because it was honestly one of the best games I’ve ever played on this court in my career,” he said.It took Messi 90 minutes – and a dramatic belated comeback – to keep Argentina’s World Cup dreams alive, while Djokovic took more than five hours to book his ticket to another Wimbledon semi-final.
