Wimbledon 2015: Djokovic faces gritty Gasquet in men's semi-finals

In a bid to secure his fourth Wimbledon finals berth, defending champion Novak Djokovic faces a stern test against French powerhouse Richard Gasquet in the tournament's semi-final on 10 July.

Djokovic has justified his World No.1 tag with convincing victories in the tournament so far, but the Serbian was made to sweat by the 29-year-old South African player Kevin Anderson in the exhausting five-set match in the fourth round.

The 27-year-old Serb reached his 27th Grand Slam semi-final after overpowering Croatia's Marin Cilic in the three sets. It was Djokovic's 50th win at Wimbledon, only the seventh man to reach that number of victories.

Djokovic now faces Gasquet who has also been in sublime form at the All England Club this year. Gasquet's thrilling five-set win against Swiss player Stan Wawrinka proved that the Frenchman can deliver under pressure.

Though it promises to be a close match, but the odds clearly favour Djokovic who would still needs to be at his prolific best to overcome Gasquet's challenge.

Who is Richard Gasquet

Known for his elegant one-handed backhand and looping groundstrokes, the 29-year-old Frenchman is yet to clinch his maiden Grand Slam title. In 2007 Wimbledon quarter-finals, Gasquet recovered from a sluggish start and a deficit of two sets but made turned the game around in the third set, to upset Andy Roddick by a score-line in five sets. Gasquet managed to hit an amazing 93 winners, many of them with his trademark backhand down the line. His hopes of reaching the first-ever Grand Slam final were dashed by Roger Federer in the semis clash. It was one of his best results at a Grand Slam alongside the 2013 semi-finals finish at US Open.

Head-to-head: Djokovic vs Gasquet

Novak Djokovic has won 11 of their previous 12 meetings, with Richard Gasquet's only victory coming in 2007. Also, the Frenchman has never taken a set off the Serbian player at a Grand Slam.

Djokovic's journey to semi-finals

Quarter-final: Defeated Croatia's Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

4th round: Defeated South African player Kevin Anderson 6-7 (6-8), 6-7 (6-8), 6-1, 6-4, 7-5.

3rd round: Defeated Australian player Bernard Tomic 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.

2nd round: Defeated Finland's Jarkko Nieminen 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.

1st round: Defeated German player Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

Gasquet's journey to semi-finals

Quarter-final: Defeated Swiss player Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 11-9.

4th round: Defeated Australian player Nick Kyrgios 7-5, 6-1, 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (8-6).

3rd round: Defeated Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

2nd round: Defeated French player Kenny De Schepper 6-0, 6-3, 6-3.

1st round: Defeated Australia's Luke Saville 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.