Novak Djokovic was given a real scare by Kevin Anderson, and the world number one will now be keen to resume normal service when he plays Marin Cilic in the Wimbledon 2015 quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Such was the intensity and ferocity and competitive nature of the match between Djokovic and Anderson that it went late into the London night on Monday, forcing the organisers to push the final set of the match to Tuesday.
Both players came out fresh for that final set shootout, and after Anderson failed to grasp his chances early in the set, Djokovic did in the 11th game before seeing out the challenge from the South African.
That match would have been a wake-up call for Djokovic, with the Serbian now knowing even the slightest drop in form will be punished by his opponents.
One of them certainly capable of doing that is Cilic, the US Open champion, who has had to battle through some thrillers himself en route to the quarterfinals.
After going five sets in the second round and third round – that one against John Isner was won by Cilic 12-10 in the final set – the Croatian finished off the fourth round match against Denis Kudla in four sets, which when compared to the other two, was heaven sent.
"I was not playing too great," Cilic said after his four-set victory over Kudla in the round of 16. "I would say just serving wise the level was a bit, a fraction lower than my previous match with John.
"But, I think Denis was playing really well. He was not missing much and a little bit different game, and this court plays a bit faster than the other ones. So it was not easy. Especially he had, you know, a few good wins.
"Throughout the match I was looking for some opportunities and the right ways to play. Towards the end of the third set I managed to find the proper way to play, and I was feeling better also on my serves. Yeah, pretty happy that it didn't go into the fifth set."
Djokovic vs Cilic was the quarterfinal of Wimbledon 2014 as well, with the champion eventually prevailing in five sets. Cilic would have rued the result a little, as he was, at one point, two sets to one up on the world number one.
"It is pretty simple from my side," Cilic said when asked about what plans he has to reverse the result this time around against Djokovic.
"In the game where Novak is playing at the speed that he's playing, of course, that's the speed that he's going to be better at, so I'm going to have to be more aggressive to play more risky tennis. That leaves less margins for error, but that's the way I was playing last year.
"I think this would be the best opportunity for me to try to play, you know, full on."
Where to Watch Live
Djokovic vs Cilic is the second match on the Centre Court on Wednesday, with the first one beginning at 5.30 pm IST (1 pm BST, 8 am ET).
Live TV coverage of this men's singles quarterfinal match will be on Starsports 4, while all the action, including the other matches as well, can also be watched via live streaming online on Hotstar and Starsports online.
Viewers in the UK can watch Wimbledon 2015 live on BBC One and BBC Two, while the matches can also be live streamed on BBC iPlayer.
Viewers in Australia can watch Djokovic vs Cilic live on Channel 7, with the online live streaming option on 7tennis.
Audience in the US can watch the men's singles last eight match on Centre Court on ESPN, while the action at Wimbledon can also be watched online via a live stream on Watch ESPN.
