Novak Djokovic is more than a decade older than any other man in the Wimbledon semifinals. He says it motivates him to see if he can keep going toe-to-toe against the younger players at the top of tennis these days.

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.

Djokovic, who is looking for a record-equaling eighth Wimbledon title and a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title, battled and then surged past the Italian No. 22 seed Cobolli 6-7 (6), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 to set up Friday’s date with Sinner.