The celebration wasn’t flamboyant: arms stretched aloft, Tommy Haas simply stared at his coach Thomas Hogstedt with a smile. After recovering from three shoulder operations and countless other injuries for a place in his fourth Grand Slam championship semi-final, the 31-year-old German is enjoying a late flourish to his career.

In a manner that would have pleased his compatriot Boris Becker, a three-time former Wimbledon champion, the 24th seed hurled himself around Court One on Wednesday to defeat fourth-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic 7-5, 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-3 and continue his fairytale run into The Championships semi-finals.

"Having played him in Halle and having beaten him there obviously gave me confidence for today," admitted Haas. "I think once again today I served extremely well and didn't really give him much of a rhythm. He never really got a groove on returning well - to maybe get some confidence or break me. 

Haas will now attempt to snap an eight-match losing streak against five-time former champion and second seed Roger Federer on Friday. Both players are appearing at The Championships for the 11th time. Federer is chasing a record 15th Grand Slam championship crown, while Haas will be attempting to avoid the fate he suffered at the Australian Open in 1999, 2002 and 2007.

"Sometimes you are a little bit more unlucky than other players," commented Haas, in relation in injuries. " Some bodies hold up better than others. I'm sure there's been a little bit of an unlucky side in many ways, but also a lot of lucky sides in my career. So to be where I am and what I have achieved, to be living and playing the sport that I love for this long, I can't complain."

In a serve-dominated encounter, which lasted two hours and 44 minutes, Haas belied his age against the youngest of this year’s quarter-finalists. He clinched the first service break in the 11th game in the 45-minute first set. 

Haas was broken to love when he served for the second set at 6-5 and soon after found himself down three set points at 3/6 in the tie-break. But the German steeled himself to win five straight points, closing out the set by attacking the net behind a deep slice backhand and putting away a confident backhand volley.

Djokovic mounted a comeback in the third set, but his recovery faltered in the fourth set as Haas stormed into a 4-1 lead. With 49 winners, including 18 aces, Haas demonstrated just why his Gerry Weber Open final win over Djokovic was no fluke. 

He sealed the win when Djokovic netted a forehand return on the first match point, and now Germany can start to dream of a first German finalist at Wimbledon since 1991, when Michael Stich beat Becker.

"I think I've played okay throughout the tournament, and unfortunately I haven't performed that well today," admitted Djokovic. "I was solid on my service games, but then when I needed to step it up in the important games, I was too nervous in these moments. He took his chances and he played better. [I've] got to give him credit for that. 

"I think he was serving really well. I knew that the key [was going to] be my return if I [was] going to be able to make him play an extra shot. That's what I didn't do. So he deserved to win."