LONDON — Novak Djokovic began expressing a heartfelt thought about returning to the semifinals at the All England Club — “It means the world to me,” he was saying, “that I’m still able, at 38, to play (in the) final stages of Wimbledon” — when the Centre Court crowd interrupted with yelling and applause.

The seven-time winner and reigning men’s world No1 are due to clash on Centre Court on Friday for a place in the final at the All England Club, while defending back-to-back champion Carlos Alcaraz meets American fifth seed Taylor Fritz.

Novak Djokovic clinched a spot in Wimbledon's semifinals following Wednesday's win over Flavio Cobolli (6-7, 6-2, 7-5, 6-4) despite a scary fall in the final game of the match. Djokovic slipped on the grass after a forehand attempt led to a return from Cobolli that hit the net cord and made Djokovic lean to his left.