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.

He passed Roger Federer, who has made the final four of Wimbledon 13 times. Jimmy Connors has 11 appearances followed by Boris Becker with 9. It's another key record that adds to Djokovic's case as the best player to ever grace Wimbledon Centre Court.