'It inspires me to play my best tennis'- Novak Djokovic defeates Andrey Rublev to qualify for another Wimbledon semi-final

Novak Djokovic dominated the most difficult match at Wimbledon this year, defeating Russian Andrey Rublev 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3. The Serbian's Wimbledon winning run reached 33, and he equalled Roger Federer's record of grand slam semifinal appearances. Djokovic is pursuing records one by one, and in his current form, he appears capable of breaking them all.

Following his win against Rublev, the all-time grand slam leader made it obvious that he understood he was going into the Wimbledon semifinals as the favourite to win the trophy for the fifth time in a row, and the eighth time overall. He did, however, make no bones about his desire to zealously defend his Championship streak.

I don't want to sound arrogant: Novak Djokovic

Speaking after the end of the match, Djokovic said "I mean, I don't want to sound arrogant, but of course, I would consider myself my favourite. Judging with the results I had in my career here, previous four occasions of Wimbledon that I won, and reaching another semifinal, so I do consider myself favourite, yes."

The Serbian spoke about how he thrives in the high-pressure situations he faces at big tournaments. "The pressure is paramount, every single time I come out on the court, particularly here on Centre Court at Wimbledon. But at the same time, it awakens the most beautiful emotions in me and it motivates me beyond what I’ve ever dreamed of, and it inspires me to play my best tennis."

Djokovic has now gone over a decade without losing on Centre Court, an astounding record that demonstrates his domination on Wimbledon's grass courts. He hasn't lost a match since 2017 when he had to quit against Tomas Berdych.

Jannik Sinner had lost his previous four major quarter-finals but dominated Safiullin after a wobble in the second set to claim his first major triumph. He is the youngest man to reach the Wimbledon men's singles semi-finals since 2007, although he will be beaten by Carlos Alcaraz or Holger Rune, who play their quarter-final on Wednesday. He will face Djokovic in the all-important semi-final.