Wimbledon 213: Novak Djokovic confident he will be fresh for final

Novak Djokovic is confident he will recover in time for the men's singles final on Sunday after his epic semi-final win over Juan Martin del Potro.

The top-seeded Serb needed four hours and 44 minutes to see off his Argentine opponent, making it the longest men's last-four clash in Wimbledon history.

"I was in worse situations before and managed to win the title," said Djokovic, the 2011 Wimbledon champion.

Either Britain's Andy Murray or Pole Jerzy Janowicz will try to stop him.

World number one Djokovic pointed to the 2012 Australian Open, when he beat Murray in five sets in the semi-finals before going on to beat Rafael Nadal, in a final lasting seven minutes short of six hours, as an example of his stamina.

"On several occasions I managed to recover, feel fresh," said the 26-year-old. "I'm ready and I'm looking forward to that."

Djokovic described his victory over Del Potro as "one of the most thrilling matches that I have ever played".

"It was very high quality tennis from the first to the last point. There were not many unforced errors and a lot of winners.

"It was a cat and mouse game. Sometimes I was in control and more aggressive, and sometimes him.

"You needed to stay committed and concentrated and to wait for the chance. When it's presented, you have to grab it. I managed to do that in the fifth [set]."

Eighth seed Del Potro said it was no consolation to have been involved in such a classic encounter.

"I was so close to the final here in Wimbledon - but I knew my opponent," said the 24-year-old, who won the 2009 US Open.

"It was a really high-level match and unbelievable to watch but, of course, I'm sad because I lost and I was close to beating him.

"But if I carry on playing this way against Novak, Rafa [Nadal], the other guys, it's going to be very interesting for me.

"Good fights, good battles coming. I will be ready for that."