Twelve years and 52 meetings later, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal played out another match for the ages in their Wimbledon semi-final. Their contests had become a rarity in recent years, but as Michael Hincks reports, it has left us hoping there is no end in sight.

This epic rivalry, arguably the greatest of the Open era, hit the 7,200th-minute mark at 9.56pm on Friday evening. That’s five full days of tennis. Five days of staring down the same opponent, five days in which Grand Slam titles have been won and lost, five days where the momentum has swung this when then that.

It was perhaps fitting that as the Djokovic-Nadal story entered its sixth day, we were none the wiser as to who would one day edge this battle when all is said and done, but in truth, that seemed to matter little during their last-four tug of war.

Kevin Anderson’s marathon semi-final victory over John Isner delayed the spectacle, and while there was talk of how six hours of gruelling tennis would make the South African easily dispatchable in Sunday’s final, he could at least take solace from the fact his opponent would be getting a day’s less rest – with the Djokovic-Nadal match forced to continue onto Saturday.

Before play was suspended at 11.02pm on Friday evening, the Centre Court crowd – who had patiently waited for the two gladiators to take to the stage – were treated to arguably the best three hours of tennis at the tournament this year.

By the time it got under way at 8.09pm, it soon became the match everyone hoped it would be; two greats of the game locked in a fierce baseline battle. With the roof closed, it made for an electric atmosphere, and support was plentiful for both, with the crowd delighted to watch some actual tennis.

Anderson-Isner was always going to be a serve-fest, but the contrast in quality – in terms of watchability – was highlighted by the fact those two exchanged just 22 rallies of 9+ shots in 6hr36mins of tennis, while Djokovic and Nadal hit the 40-mark by close of play on Friday night.

If you needed any indication of how close Djokovic and Nadal’s match way, by the time play was suspended, the duo had won 107 points apiece. But crucially, it was the former who led by two sets to one after edging a thrilling tie-break 11-9.

And so onto Saturday, on what is traditionally women’s final day – though that was made to wait until Djokovic’s match with Nadal had concluded.

The match continued under the roof, obeying the rule that conditions must resume how they started unless both players agree otherwise, which was said to play into Djokovic’s favour, given his superior head-to-head record against Nadal indoors.

And under the royal gaze of the two Duchess’, two tennis kings recommenced their battle. A 16-minute opening game to the fourth set indicated finalists Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber could be waiting a while, and that became more apparent when Nadal broke the following game, but his stranglehold could not last as Djokovic brought it back on level terms.

Nadal then wrestled back the initiative, saving three break-back points before forcing a decider. It was only fitting it headed to a final-set shootout, and with the title of Wimbledon favourite for Sunday’s final on the line, the tension ramped up to new levels.

Break-point opportunities came and went for both, while at 8-7, Nadal rallied to save a match point. It was a sign of things to come, and Djokovic eventually wore down the Spaniard, taking it 10-8 after five hours and 15 minutes on court. It was a first semi-final defeat at Wimbledon for Nadal, while Djokovic edged into his fifth final after extending his head-to-head record with the world No 1 to 27-25.

Djokovic-Nadal rivalry in numbers

H2H: Djokovic 27-25 Nadal

Grand Slam meetings: Djokovic 5-9 Nadal

Total sets won: Djokovic 66-71 Nadal

Total time played: 7,407 minutes – 5 days, 3 hours and 27 minutes

With Nadal 32 and Djokovic 31, there’s no telling how much longer we will see this rivalry grace our screens and the Grand Slam courts, but the 52nd meeting left us yearning for more.

Not only was it a memorable match – up there with one of their greatest duels – but it was a lesson for the younger generation coming through that this is the level you will have to reach if you want to win a Grand Slam now, or else you may have to wait until these guys leave the stage and don’t turn back.

It was also a delight to once more witness Djokovic as close to his peak powers as he has been for two years. He was becoming the forgotten man during Nadal and Roger Federer’s renaissance, but he has confirmed to the tennis world that he is back, and hungry for more titles.

Now is the time for Nadal to lick his wounds, while Djokovic prepares for another Wimbledon final. On this day, it was the Serb who edged it. On another day, it could have been different – but let’s hope the opportunities to compare and contrast keep on coming.