“It would be nice to play 90 minutes like Lionel Messi”: jokes Novak Djokovic after the five-hour Wimbledon epic

Lionel Messi and Novak Djokovic (AP Photos) Novak Djokovic produced one of the biggest escapes of his Wimbledon career before making a light-hearted joke about Lionel Messi and joking that he would happily trade more than five hours on the tennis court for 90 minutes of football matches from the Argentina captain.The 39-year-old Serbian outlasted Felix Auger-Aliassime in a record-setting Wimbledon quarter-final on Tuesday that lasted five hours and 15 minutes. He was then asked to compare himself to another sporting icon who is still competing at the highest level at the same age – Argentina captain Messi.Rather than comment on Messi’s longevity, Djokovic jokingly referred to the difference in match duration.“It would be nice to play 90 minutes like him,” Djokovic said with a smile after spending more than five hours on Center Court.

Argentina produces an amazing comeback

Djokovic’s witty remark came just hours after Messi inspired Argentina to one of the most dramatic victories at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.The defending champions looked destined for a shock exit after going down 2-0 against Egypt, with Yasser Ibrahim opening the scoring before Mostafa Ziko doubled the Pharaohs’ advantage in the 67th minute.Messi’s night hardly went according to plan either. He saw a penalty saved by Mostafa Shobeir, hit the crossbar with a free-kick and watched as the Egyptian goalkeeper denied several Argentine attacks.But the pace shifted dramatically late in the contest. Cristian Romero headed home Messi’s free-kick in the 79th minute, before the captain equalized four minutes later with a thunderous strike.Deep into stoppage time, Enzo Fernandez completed an extraordinary turnaround and calmly slotted home the winner to seal a remarkable 3-2 victory and send Argentina into the quarter-finals with Switzerland.READ ALSO: Tearful Lionel Messi rises as Argentina dressing room and Buenos Aires erupt after epic escape | Watch

Djokovic will survive another Wimbledon marathon

Meanwhile, Djokovic was involved in his own epic.The seven-time Wimbledon champion defeated Auger-Aliassime 7-6 (10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4) in the longest Wimbledon quarter-final in history to reach a record eighth straight semi-final at the All England Club.“Those are the moments I still play tennis for,” Djokovic said.Regarding another marathon victory, he added: “I’m still able to fight with these young guys who are 15 years younger than me. I can beat them in the closest possible score. In a way, it’s a really nice surprise. But at the same time, I always have the highest expectations for myself.”The Serb also admitted that he would have preferred the match to be shorter.“I wish it was a final so I don’t have to worry about how the body is going to feel tomorrow… I’m glad they stayed because it was honestly one of the best matches I’ve been on this court in my career,” he said.While Messi needed 90 minutes – and a dramatic late comeback – to keep Argentina’s World Cup dream alive, Djokovic needed more than five hours to punch his ticket to another Wimbledon semi-final.