2026 Wimbledon QF Recap, Novak greater than Messi? Ferys Dream Run | Something Major | EP 193

**Sam** (0:00)
All right, on today's episode of Something Major, we're gonna recap quarterfinals. Let's go. Jack, John, Stevie and Sam got close a few times, never won a slam, nothing major. All right, back to a two man pod. I missed the last one, John's on on this one. Got Stevie, myself, good old Suits at SIFT.
We had some juicy matches. I think we gotta start out talking.

**Stevie** (0:24)
Where do we start?

**Sam** (0:25)
We start with Novak.

**Stevie** (0:27)
That's probably the right thing to do.

**Sam** (0:29)
Unbelievable, I wasn't on the last episode, you and I talked about it. In the previous match, I wanted to bring this up. Everyone, Novak smacked the ball.

**Stevie** (0:35)
Yes.

**Sam** (0:36)
Did you guys bring it up? I didn't listen to you last episode, sorry.

**Stevie** (0:39)
I said it was just angry Novak, they could have.

**Sam** (0:41)
Could you imagine if that went higher and hit someone in the Royal Box?

**Stevie** (0:43)
Dude, that's what I'm saying. He's about to hit himself out of another chant of the title.

**Sam** (0:50)
If that hit the Duke of Cornwall or something, that would have been unbelievable right in the forehead.
But anyway, he takes out Felix Auger-Aliassime, five hours and 15 minutes, 7-6, 12-10 in that tiebreaker, by the way. 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, got him in a fifth set breaker, 10-4, ran away with him, that breaker. I don't even know where to start with this, Stevie. What can't this guy do? We've always said he's won the game of tennis.

**Stevie** (1:20)
Nothing.

**Sam** (1:20)
Are you even surprised anymore? Are you surprised that he could sustain his level for over five hours at this point, or does nothing surprise you anymore with this man?

**Stevie** (1:28)
Nothing should surprise you, but yes and no to that question. He hasn't shown maybe the greatest fitness level in the last few tournaments we've seen. They've all been slams. I felt like his legs lost to matches towards the end. Maybe I'm wrong on that.
At the French Open, maybe Australia.

**Sam** (1:45)
Even in Rome too.

**Stevie** (1:47)
It just felt like the legs weren't there.
I'm not surprised. He's probably the fittest at one point, the most fit athlete across every sport worldwide, on planet Earth. But my only question, Mark, really I wanted to ask you this, that you've been there. They got close to the 11 p.m. stop time. Do they let it go past because Wimbledon is strict with the rules?

**Sam** (2:13)
They do not. Once you start the game-

**Stevie** (2:16)
Five all in the fifth, 11 o'clock, do they stop?

**Sam** (2:19)
Yes, they stop. Oh my gosh. You get to finish the game.

**Stevie** (2:22)
I know.

**Sam** (2:23)
Now, if they were in a tiebreaker, I'm assuming you could finish the tiebreaker, but yes.

**Stevie** (2:26)
They stop on an even number. So what if it's 6-6? Do they like come back?

**Sam** (2:31)
I think they do. I honestly think they do as crazy as that is.

**Stevie** (2:34)
That would be, sorry. That was my question.

**Sam** (2:37)
No, no.

**Stevie** (2:38)
It's nuts. Like Novak, there's really nothing you can say.
He's just an absolute machine. We've seen him do just about everything in tennis, if not everything, and he just continues to surprise you. He's 39 years old. I'm exhausted, exhausted watching a match for five hours, and I sat on the couch. I sat on the couch.

**Sam** (3:05)
Novak was dean up in the fifth set tiebreaker, sliding around. It wasn't like he was trying to end points soon. I mean, Felix, 74 winners, serving huge. This is also Novak's 15th Wimbledon semifinal.

**Stevie** (3:20)
That's a made-up stat.

**Sam** (3:21)
15 Wimbledon semifinals.
Every stat with Novak feels made up. The guy is just, he breaks every crazy, I don't know, stereotype, but just like crazy stat, crazy. Whatever you think of him, the guy is incredible. To take out the four seed in Felix, who played great. I feel like Felix played an incredible match. I thought Novak was before that match was going to beat him in straights.

**Stevie** (3:43)
Yeah.

**Sam** (3:44)
Felix played a lot better than I thought. And just, I'm blown away with Novak. I think everyone is.
Now, the big question is, he's got two days off now before he plays Sinner. I believe with 48 hours off, his battery can recharge pretty close to full. What do you think about that? Elite athletes can recover pretty quick.

**Stevie** (4:04)
I think it's massive, massive, massive, that he was able to be on the Sinner side. So he started Monday. So he gets the extra day off now. One day off, don't know how he feels. Two days off, I just think he's gonna be as close to whatever 100% is anymore as he is.