Novak Djokovic left stunned over U-turn from Wimbledon fan etched in his memory

Novak Djokovic cracked a wry smile after learning that a fan who infamously rooted for Roger Federer in their 2019 Wimbledon final was supporting him at this year's tournament. In one of the London-based Grand Slam's most iconic showings, the match was tied up with the Serbian titan and the Swiss legend each holding two sets.

And with Federer poised to clinch his ninth Wimbledon title at 40-15 to take the fifth and final set, it looked all but guaranteed that Djokovic would leave with the runner-up trophy. During that tense moment, one fan in the stands of SW19 caught the attention of tennis fans worldwide by holding a single finger towards Federer, signifying that he needed just one more point to take the title. But fate ultimately had other plans for the match.

Djokovic survived two match points with ice in his veins to stall Federer's momentum before taking the match via a decisive tie break. And while many players would have been overcome with emotion should they have defied the odds in such fashion, Djokovic remained stoic as he approached the net to shake hands with Federer.

Never one to forget the past, he was probed about the fan who raised her finger in excitement six years ago during an interview at Wimbledon this year. He said: "I haven't seen it when I was playing on the court, but I know exactly when it happened because lots of my fans have been sharing, repositing that picture, and they still do after six years.

"Remembering 2019 finals is very positive for me because I won it, coming back from two match points down. But I can't really use that photo as the main reference of the match because that means I would be poking a finger in someone's eyes.

"But I do understand why my fans are sharing that, and that's okay, in the heat of the battle those things happen. And he was one point away, it didn't happen. It's sport."

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When the journalist who asked the question replied: "I talked to her today, she's rooting for you," Djokovic was taken aback, wearing an expression of surprise as he said: "You talked with her today?

"She's rooting for me now? Wow, okay, that's a nice turnaround. I'm very thankful for that," before grinning from ear-to-ear.

It comes as Djokovic will hope to add an eighth Wimbledon title and a 25th Grand Slam triumph to his name at this year's tournament. The ATP No. 6 bested Alexandre Muller, Dan Evans and Miomir Kecmanovic in his opening rounds before dispatching Alex de Minaur in the round of 16.

A quarter-final win over Flavio Cobolli followed on Wednesday, which sees Djokovic make his way to the semis to take on World No. 1 Jannik Sinner on Friday at Centre Court. A win there will see him take on either Taylor Fritz or defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the tournament's grand finale come Sunday.

No stranger to facing the Spaniard in a tense showdown, Djokovic has been bested by Alcaraz in the last two years' finals. However, the all-time great exacted a measure of revenge on the 22-year-old by beating him to win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics last year.