Felix Auger-Aliassime is into his second Wimbledon quarter-final after five years. He reached his first last eight at the age of 20 after picking up a stunning fourth-round win against Alexander Zverev . At this year's edition, he will be seeking his first semi-final, but he has to first beat seven-time champion Novak Djokovic .
Djokovic has continued to impress at the All England Club. It is the only tournament amongst the Grand Slams that he has reached the semi-finals in five consecutive seasons. The Serbian legend stunning record at the event puts him as one of the favorites to win the championship, which if that happens, will take his Grand Slam tally to 25 on tour.
Felix Auger-Aliassime has not been one of the few consistent players on tour and that has seen him rise to World No.4 in the ATP rankings. He won the Montpellier Open and finished as runner-up in Rotterdam before stepping up at the Roland Garros, where he reached the quarter-finals before losing to eventual runner-up Flavio Cobolli.
He opened his grass-court season with a quarter-final finish at the Libema Open and the Terra Wortmann Open. The 25-year-old kicked off his campaign at Wimbledon with a straight-sets win over Alexander Shevchenko and then defeated Dino Prizmic 7-6(2), 6-3, 7-5. He advanced to the fourth round after beating American star Michael Zheng 7-6(1), 6-2, 6-1 and battled past Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-7(4), 7-6(6), 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals.
On the other hand, Novak Djokovic has only played in five tournaments this season. The 24-time Grand Slam champion has prioritized major tournaments, reaching the final of the Australian Open and the third round of Roland Garros. He opted not to take part in any warm-up tournament ahead of Wimbledon.
At the All England Club, Djokovic has been achieving success on the court. He defeated Wu Yibing 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 and Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in the opening rounds. The 39-year-old overcame Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) in the third round and then marked his 106th match victory at Wimbledon after beating Roman Safiullin 7-6 (6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
Felix Auger-Aliassime is nowhere compared to Novak Djokovic when it comes to Grand Slam achievements. The Canadian star is yet to reach a Slam final in his career, despite having some good moments on the court, and often finds it hard to get past tough opponents in major events. That was noticeable against Flavio Cobolli at the French Open last month as he threw away the momentum after winning the first set.
Djokovic is far more experienced at this kind of tournament and in this stage of the competition. Little mistakes from Auger-Aliassime and Djokovic will be looking to pounce on them to maintain his dominance. Auger-Aliassime will rely on his forehand shots and powerful serves, but that is not a new tactic for Djokovic.
The two players share a 1-1 head-to-head record, with their last meeting coming in 2022 at the Laver Cup. Auger-Aliassime didn't produce a convincing performance against Fokina in the fourth round and Djokovic racked up 37 unforced errors against Safiullin. Both players will have to tighten their weak points before their clash on the Center Court on Tuesday (July 7).
Match Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in four sets.
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