Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic was 2-1 down after three sets but fought back to progress into the last four. Getty Images

Top seed Novak Djokovic takes on 11<sup>th seed Grigor Dimitrov in the first semi-final of the 2014 Wimbledon Championships at the Centre Court of the All England Club, London, on Friday.

Where to Watch Live

The play is scheduled to begin at 1pm BST. Live coverage is on BBC Two and BBC Two HD. Live scores, regular updates, radio commentary and live streaming link will be available on Wimbledon's official website.

Overview

Djokovic secured his place in the semi-final the hard way after defeating Marin Cilic in a five-set thriller that lasted 198 minutes. The 27-year-old Serbian won the first set, 6-1, and lost the following set, 3-6, before failing to edge the third set in the tiebreaker, to lose 6-7 (4).

From that moment onwards, the world no 2 seized momentum and won the fourth and the deciding set, 6-2, 6-2, securing his 10<sup>th straight victory against the 25-year-old Croatian.

The six-time Grand Slam champion's next challenge is to brush aside Dimitrov, who stunned home favourite Andy Murray in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

The defending champion came into this fixture without dropping a single set. However, the 23-year-old Bulgarian had other plans and needed a minute over two hours to stun the Scoot , 6-1, 7-6 (4), 6-2, in straight sets.

Dimitrov, who has never crossed the second round of this tournament, is enjoying a dream run, reaching his first Grand Slam semi-final. Murray's exit means we will have a new champion for the seventh consecutive time.

This is Djokovic's sixth semi-final appearance in the last eight years and he will be keen on having a chance at lifting the trophy for the second time.

The winner of this clash will face fourth seed and seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer or ninth ranked Milos Raonic for the coveted prize on Sunday.

Click here for the preview of the second semi-final.

Head-to-Head

Djokovic holds a 3-1 lead in overall meetings against Dimitrov. The pair have clashed once in a Grand Slam event where the Serbian emerged triumphant in straight sets.

Wimbledon History

Djokovic and Dimitrov are facing each other at SW19 for the first time.

Route to Semi-Final

Grigor Dimitrov
Grigor Dimitrov sent defending champion Andy Murray packing to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final. Getty Images

Novak Djokovic

  • First Round: 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 v Andrey Golubev
  • Second Round: 6-4, 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(5) v Radek Stepanek
  • Third Round: 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 v Gilles Simon
  • Fourth Round: 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(5) v Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
  • Quarterfinals: 6-1 3-6, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-2 v Marin Cilic

Grigor Dimitrov

  • First Round: 7-6(1), 6-3, 6-2 v Ryan Harrison
  • Second Round: 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 v Luke Saville
  • Third Round: 6-7(3), 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 v Alexandr Dolgopolov
  • Fourth Round: 6-4, 7-6(6), 6-2 v Leonardo Mayer
  • Quarterfinals: 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-2 v Andy Murray

What They Say

Novak Djokovic: "It's a big win for Grigor. He has won a couple of titles, including on grass at Queen's [the Aegon Championships]. The fact that he hasn't lost a match in the grass court season this year says enough about his quality. I'm sure many people look at him as a potential Grand Slam winner. Maybe here [or] maybe in the Grand Slams to follow."

Grigor Dimitrov: "We all know how Novak is competing and how he's playing when he's at his top level. I'm of course not expecting an easy match. I know it's going to be a battle. I've just got to be really, really composed. I think we're both going to really want that match. Of course, he has the experience and all that behind him. But at the same time, I've been playing great tennis. I believe in my skills at the moment."

Novak Djokovic