Wimbledon 2018: Novak Djokovic ahead in semi-final thriller with Rafael Nadal after play is suspended

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will have to return to Centre Court on Saturday afternoon to decide who will face Kevin Anderson in Sunday’s Wimbledon final. Djokovic was leading 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 in the second semi-final when play was called off for the day just after 11pm on Friday evening, the match having started late after Anderson’s extraordinary six-and-a-half-hour victory over John Isner earlier in the day.

Whoever wins the second semi-final will not appreciate having to play for a third day in a row, but the consolation for the winner – assuming they do not have to go to the lengths that Anderson did – will be that their opponent on Sunday might be facing an even bigger challenge to recover in time.

Anderson’s semi-final marathon followed a four-set victory over Gael Monfils in the fourth round, which took three and a half hours, and a five-set victory over Roger Federer in the quarter-finals, which lasted for four and a quarter hours. Nadal, nevertheless, has also had a gruelling end to the tournament, having needed more than four and three-quarter hours to beat Juan Martin del Potro in Wednesday’s quarter-finals.

After waiting all afternoon for the end of Anderson’s marathon victory, Nadal and Djokovic did not get on court until 8pm. With almost no chance of the match finishing in normal light, the tournament referee took the sensible decision to close the Centre Court roof and play under artificial light. However, under Wimbledon’s agreement with the local authority, matches under the roof must finish by 11pm.

With both men apparently keen to avoid having to return the next day if at all possible, the opening set was played at almost breakneck speed by the standards of two players who each have a reputation for taking a long time between points.

Nadal in particular seemed to hurry his shots in the early stages and at 3-3 the world No 1 was broken to 15. Djokovic dropped only one point in his next two service games to close out the opening set in just 47 minutes.

Djokovic continued to set the pace at the start of the second set and had break points in Nadal’s first two service games, but the Spaniard held firm and then broke for 3-1, Djokovic netting a forehand under pressure from the quality of Nadal’s backhand return.

The response from Djokovic in the next game was magnificent. A stunning rally in which both men showed great athleticism ended with Djokovic hitting a winning lob to go 15-40 up. The Serb took his chance immediately by cracking a superb forehand cross-court pass winner.

Nadal, however, was not to be denied. When Djokovic served at 2-3 and deuce in the following game Nadal went to break point with a lovely drop shot and converted it with a crunching forehand winner.

The Spaniard twice went break point down when he served for the set at 5-3, but a service winner and a missed backhand by Djokovic kept him in the game. A backhand winner down the line then took Nadal to set point and Djokovic’s backhand error on the next point did the rest.

By this stage the quality of the tennis was stunning. Djokovic, three times a champion here, was playing his best tennis for two years, while Nadal, the winner in 2008 and 2010, has found his best form on grass since losing to the Serb in the 2011 final. The athleticism of both men produced some spectacular rallies, while Nadal in particular hit some wonderful forehand winners.

The pace in the third set was unrelenting. At 5-5 Djokovic appeared to be in trouble when Nadal went 0-30 up with a thrilling forehand winner down the line, but the Serb kept both his nerve and his serve.

Nadal won the first point of the tie-break against serve, went 5-3 down but then produced some magnificent tennis – two wonderful drop shot winners and an unreturned serve - to go to set point at 6-5.

Djokovic responded with a service winner and saved two more set points with a drop shot and another unreturned serve. At 8-9 it was Nadal’s turn to save a set point with a service winner, but at 9-10 the Spaniard netted a backhand to give Djokovic the set.

After two hours and 53 minutes of exceptional entertainment, both men had won 107 points each. We will have to wait until Saturday to see who wins their 52nd meeting. Djokovic currently leads their head-to-head record by 26 wins to 25.

With the match having started under cover, the roof will remain closed on Saturday unless both men agree to have it opened. Play will start at 1pm.