Novak Djokovic wasn't just beating Jannik Sinner on Centre Court; he was also roughing up Father Time beneath the Royal Box.

Father Time is supposed to be the most feared and unconquerable of adversaries at Wimbledon; Djokovic was tripping him up, pushing him around, knocking over his glass of Pimm's.

With his 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) win over a spirited Italian redhead 15 years his junior - this was the largest age gap between two men's semi-finalists in the Open era - the 36-year-old moved into his ninth Wimbledon final.

Victory on Sunday against Carlos Alcaraz or Daniil Medvedev would make him the oldest men's champion at the All England Club since tennis turned professional, eclipsing Roger Federer's achievement in 2017 as a 35-year-old.

There are a couple of Federer's other achievements that Djokovic could match if he wins - a fifth Wimbledon in a row and an eighth title overall - but becoming the oldest ever champion would surely resonate with this ageless, relentless athlete.

"I'd like to believe [I'm playing the best tennis of my life]. I try not to look at age as a factor or a hindrance. Thirty-six is the new 26," Djokovic said after his 34th consecutive win at The Championships.

While still governed by the same rules as everyone else - and he was warned by the umpire for dawdling between serves - Djokovic has a different relationship with time to others playing this sport.

In your mid-thirties, you're supposed to be slowing down as a tennis player. Not Djokovic. Even a career first of losing a point for 'hindrance' - for grunting for too long when Sinner was about to hit the ball - and receiving a warning in the same game for slow play between serves didn't disturb his progress to his 35th Grand Slam final, a record for both sexes.

In the 101 years since Centre Court opened, no one has dominated this lawn as Djokovic has - he hasn't lost here for a decade. If this place is the cathedral of tennis, and Djokovic its high priest, it would have been kind of perfect if a man called Sinner had done something borderline sacrilegious by beating him.

But, Djokovic being Djokovic, he wasn't going to let that happen. As well as Sinner played, he wasn't about to tear down the temple. As Djokovic said the other day about others trying to take him down: "It ain't happening."

Sliding on grass is an elite, almost supernatural skill that only a tiny few are capable of - and not something you should probably try at home - but here were a couple of men who were both moving around Centre Court as if the dreary norms didn't apply.

Something else they have in common is that both were keen skiers in their youth, which perhaps explains their ability to move so well on the grass.

If you were looking for other connections, you could say that this semi-final line-up was a good advert for the raw food movement - we all know about Djokovic's diet and Sinner was once seen munching on a carrot at a changeover.

In many ways, there wasn't much between these two under the closed roof. Sinner, who was appearing in his first Grand Slam semi-final, is a fabulous grass court player. The problem for him was that Djokovic is just that little bit more fabulous at everything and that made him unstoppable.

The last time these two played at Wimbledon, in the quarter-finals of last summer's Championships, Sinner took the first two sets before Djokovic came back to win in five. There wasn't so much tension and jeopardy this time. When you're playing someone of Djokovic's abilities, the last thing you want to do is lose your opening service game, but that was just what Sinner did.

For many players, serving for the opening set in a Wimbledon semi-final would be a moment when the nerves start to fizz. If Djokovic was on edge, he hardly looked it as that was the game when he produced three aces in a row.

After breaking for 2-1 in the second set, Djokovic had his eventful service game. On losing a point for hindrance, he asked the umpire: "What are you doing?"

That made him nervous. Speaking afterwards, he felt as though that could have changed the course of the match. A few minutes later, still in that same game, he didn't looked very pleased about the time warning.

For Djokovic and his supporters, that was one of the most unsettling passages of the match. Another was when he was serving at 4-5 in the third set and dodged a couple of set points.

Every time Djokovic steps on to the grass, it feels as though there's another terabyte of data to download and process. As much as he doesn't like to spend too much time contemplating statistics when he's still in a tournament, others are interested in the numbers.

While his victory at Roland-Garros last month, where he won a men's record 23rd Grand Slam singles title, elevated him to GOAT status - the Greatest of All Time - there is always more to accomplish.

For now, he's level with Serena Williams on 23 majors and one behind Margaret Court. By Sunday evening, he could have parity with Court and be three quarters of the way to winning all four majors in a season, known as the Grand Slam.

No man has done that since Rod Laver in 1969, the year of the Moon Landings. Enter Djokovic, the most otherworldly of champions.

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