Carlos Alcaraz wants to play his part in a "perfect" sporting Sunday for Spain as he targets Wimbledon final victory against Novak Djokovic before his country face England in the Euro 2024 title match.

Novak Djokovic has backed Carlos Alcaraz to rack up more Grand Slam titles, but the Serb hopes that run doesn't start when they clash in a blockbuster Wimbledon final on Sunday.

I have been working really hard in Thailand, sometimes I have even broken down in tears from the intensity of the training. If I can clock less than 52 seconds, all the pain will be worth it.

With Centre Court still filling up following Alcaraz's 6-7(1), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over fifth seed Daniil Medvedev a short while earlier, second seed Djokovic broke after a breathtaking 26-shot rally in the sixth game of the opening set.

World number three Alcaraz beat his fifth-ranked opponent 6-7 (1/7), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 and will face either seven-time champion Novak Djokovic or Lorenzo Musetti for the title on Sunday.

Although a sport, chess can very much be considered an art. Just like music and painting, it also a form of art and an amazing sport. Grandmaster Zia made me realise all of this. Zia was an extraordinary human being with global fame.

Victory on Friday would take Djokovic to a 10th final at the tournament and 37th at the Slams.

Krejcikova dug deep for victory against fourth seeded Rybakina in two hours and seven minutes on Centre Court.

Italy's Jasmine Paolini reached her first Wimbledon final with a stirring fightback to beat tearful Croatian Donna Vekic 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10/8) on Thursday.

FIDE Master Tahsin Tajwar Zia, the only son of deceased Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman, will represent Bangladesh in the upcoming 45th Chess Olympiad after winning a tie-breaker to finish fifth in the 48th National Chess Championship at the Bangladesh Chess Federation hall room today.

However, standing in their way are Daniil Medvedev and Lorenzo Musetti, who has made the semi-final of a Grand Slam for the first time.

Federer described the absence of one-handers in the top 10 as a "dagger" to the sport.

Archer Sagor Islam, at just 18 years old, has made history as the youngest athlete from his country to earn a direct spot in the Olympic Games, following in the footsteps of golfer Siddiqur Rahman and archer Ruman Sana who achieved the same in previous editions

Now Musetti has another special day on his agenda -- facing Djokovic in Friday's semi-finals at the All England Club.

Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic reached the Wimbledon semi-finals on Wednesday when Alex de Minaur withdrew from their last-eight clash due to injury.

McEnroe, no stranger to love-hate relationships with fans throughout his career, said some supporters resent seeing Djokovic collect 24 Grand Slam titles, surpassing the achievements of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

The scenario raises questions about the selection process and effectiveness of the scholarship programme in improving athletes' performance on the global stage.

Italian seventh seed Paolini, the runner-up at the French Open last month, triumphed 6-2, 6-1 over 19th seed Navarro in just 57 minutes.

The Spanish world number three, seeking a fourth Grand Slam title, will play meet Daniil Medvedev for a place in Sunday's final.

His four-hour victory also ended a five-match losing streak against the Italian as Medvedev reached his ninth Grand Slam semi-final.