From the special reporter "Vijesti"
Wimbledon's Centre Court was almost half-empty when 22-year-old Italian from Florence Flavio Cobolli began his quarter-final battle against his biggest idol, Novak Djokovic.
The clash between Janik Siner and the upcoming, potent American Ben Shelton attracted more attention, at least in the announcement, two big dilemmas were hidden: about the health of the world number 1 and how much the "howitzer" service of the 22-year-old from Atlanta could harm him.
This was also seen in the large press center of the Wimbledon complex: accredited journalists waited in line to receive a wristband to enter court number 1 (Americans and Italians had priority), because everything was overbooked, while there was no wait for the Djokovic-Koboli match.
As time passed, and as it became increasingly clear that Shelton, like the hapless Dimitov, could not even threaten Siner, attention shifted to the Center Court, which was quickly filled to capacity.
While Hugh Grant slept in the Royal Box, a great battle was taking place on the court, and the audience was also lively - Djokovic again had to come back from a set down and with a dose of drama, especially in the third set, and his fans slipping and fearing the match point, he advanced to a record 52nd Grand Slam quarterfinal, and a record 14th here at Wimbledon.
With all the ups and downs, excitement (Coboli) and disappointment (Shelton), two twenty-two-year-olds were eliminated from Wimbledon, the favorites were eliminated, the best were eliminated.
With intrigues that are different now: Siner says that the elbow injury is in the past and that he is fully ready for the semifinals, but is Novak Djokovic?
"The pain is decreasing," said Janik Siner.
"I played with painkillers, which helped me, but now I don't think it's anything too serious. If it was, I would be much more worried," the Italian added.
A bit tired, even slightly in a bad mood, Novak Djokovic arrived at the media theater for a press conference, 50 minutes after the end of the match with Koboli, or 51 minutes after the slip that worried both him and his fans.
"There is concern, it was a nasty fall. In the next 24-48 hours we will see the seriousness of all this, and we will act accordingly," said Djokovic.
"Everything happened quickly... My muscle was bothering me in the fourth set, it was tightening me up and I had a bad match point, I slipped."
It was 2:1 in sets, 5:4 for Djokovic, who served for the win, 40:40. The duel was not over...
"I still managed to hold on for the next two points, which is great. It's not the first or last time I've slipped, but I did this year, which is surprising because I'm a player who likes to slide on grass. In the evenings, the humidity is higher, it's more slippery, and there are more chances for something to happen."
The quarterfinals ended with different dilemmas than those that existed before the start - Siner now says he is ready, the dilemma has moved to Djokovic's backyard.
The two met in the semifinals of Roland Garros just three weeks ago: Siner won 3:0.
The two have also met twice before at Wimbledon - in the quarterfinals in 2022 and the semifinals in 2023, with Djokovic winning both times.
The Italian has been a different player since then, winning in his last five matches against the Serb.
"Novak and I know each other better because we've played a lot. I've never beaten him here at Wimbledon, so it's going to be a very, very tough challenge."
Novak Djokovic is chasing his 25th Grand Slam title for a definitive ticket among the "immortals", although he actually joined that club a long time ago.
Even at the age of 38, he has both the motivation and the desire to push the boundaries even further. He pushes them further with each successive match - by reaching his 52nd Grand Slam semifinal, he increased his own record, and by reaching his 14th Wimbledon semifinal, he surpassed Roger Federer.
"I have no expectations before the semifinals," Novak told reporters.
"Right now I'm just trying to focus on recovering and getting my body in shape for the physically demanding fight that awaits me. Hopefully I can reach the level I need to beat Janik. That's all I'm thinking about right now - just getting myself physically and mentally in the right condition to fight him for as long as it takes, even five sets."
Do you remember this scene, this woman?
It's July 2019, the Wimbledon grand finale Federer - Djokovic and now an anthology scene.
Federer serves for the win, leading 40:15 and having two match points. Most of the crowd on Wimbledon's center court is in a total trance, and TV cameras zoom in on a cheerleader who is simply pointing out that the Swiss is only one point away from victory.
A historic turning point followed.
At the press conference after Djokovic's match against Koboli, an American journalist pulled out a photo of the woman and showed it to Novak - did he remember her?
"Of course, I've seen her many times," he said with a smile.
"I didn't see it while I was on the court, but I know exactly when it happened because many of my fans shared, reposted that photo. They still do even though it's been six years. The memory of the 20019 final is very positive for me because I won it, I came back from two match points behind. I can't talk about that photo as something important. That means I'll be poking someone in the eye, but I understand why my fans share it."
When asked by a journalist that he had met the woman and talked to her, and that she was now even a fan of Djokovic, Novak replied:
"He's rooting for me? That's a nice twist, I'm grateful."
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