HOW DID DJOKOVIC SURVIVE WIMBLEDON'S BIGGEST NEAR-UPSET?

Novak Djokovic came through by just three points, 188 to 185 — an absurdly fine margin across five sets. Centre Court witnessed a genuine classic, and for long stretches Felix Auger-Aliassime was the better man in almost every attacking category. The Canadian fired down 29 aces to Djokovic's 14 and racked up 73 winners in total. Yet all that firepower could not break the Serb's iron consistency. As the numbers told it, "the first-serve fireworks came from Auger-Aliassime, the durability came from Djokovic."

While Auger-Aliassime dazzled the crowd with spectacular hitting, Djokovic quietly won 64% of points behind his second serve and punished every lapse from the other side of the net. Tellingly, the Canadian's 84 unforced errors against the Serb's 64 proved the decisive weight, tipping two of the match's three tie-breaks — including the fifth-set decider — Djokovic's way. It was a triumph of calm and efficiency, a match in which the quieter columns of the stat sheet counted for more than aces or points won at the net.

So the question hangs over the tournament: is there anyone left in the draw who can knock this measured, merciless machine out of rhythm?