Novak Djokovic thanks Billie Jean King after American icon congratulates him for breaking Chris Evert's Grand Slam record

Novak Djokovic has expressed his gratitude to Billie Jean King for congratulating him. Evert commended the Serb on his remarkable achievement of surpassing Chris Evert's record and becoming the player with the most Grand Slam final appearances in the Open Era.

Djokovic emerged victorious in a hard-hitting Wimbledon semifinal encounter against Jannik Sinner on Friday. He won the match 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) after an intense battle lasting two hours and 46 minutes on Centre Court. The victory enabled Djokovic to reach the Wimbledon final for the fifth consecutive time.

With his semifinal win over Sinner, the four-time defending champion also surpassed Chris Evert's record of 34 appearances in singles Grand Slam finals. Djokovic has now reached 35 Major finals, the highest across both men's and women's tennis.

Among other players, Serena Williams reached 33 singles Grand Slam finals. Martina Navratilova is next with 32, followed by Roger Federer and Steffi Graf who both made 31 final appearances in Grand Slam singles events.

Tennis legend Billie Jean King took to social media to congratulate Novak Djokovic for breaking Evert's record. The Serb then re-shared King's story on his Instagram and expressed his gratitude for her wishes.

"Thank you 🙏 ," he captioned his Instagram story.

Screengrab of the Serb's Instagram story

"Maybe people think it'd be a huge relief for me winning French Open, 23 Slams; it's not" - Novak Djokovic after reaching Wimbledon final

Men's French Open Winner Photocall

Novak Djokovic's pursuit of an unprecedented 24th Grand Slam title continued as the former World No. 1 stormed into the Wimbledon final by defeating Jannik Sinner in straight sets on Friday.

During his post-match press conference, the Serb shed light on the discussions that followed his French Open triumph. He emphasized that much of the discourse revolved around etching his name into the annals of history. The win at Roland Garros gave him the record for most singles Grand Slam titles in men's tennis - 23.

Djokovic, however, quickly dismissed the notion of him feeling relief or any similar emotion, emphasizing that his ambition remains unwavering - to win every tournament he competes in.

"To be honest with you, I don't feel much difference," he said. "Ambition is always the highest for me: always to win the title. It's not changing regardless of the place in history books."

"Maybe some people think that it would be a huge relief for me winning Roland Garros, being the only men's tennis player with 23 slams," he continued. "It's not."

Acknowledging that he experiences the weight of expectation, the seven-time Wimbledon champion said he still gets goosebumps before each and every match, regardless of the tournament's magnitude.

"I mean, pressure is there," he added. "It's still very high. I still feel goose bumps and butterflies and nerves coming into every single match."

Novak Djokovic will take on World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final on Sunday.