South African Kevin Anderson ended a good Wimbledon run with a fourth round exit against world number one Novak Djokovic on Tuesday, with the 14th seed pushing his illustrious opponent to five sets, having won the first two in stunning fashion.

Eventually the experience and talent of Djokovic won the day, with the player taking the five-setter 6-7 (6-8) 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 6-4 7-5.

Beginning the encounter on Monday evening, Anderson was in excellent form, winning the first and second sets of the match 7-6 as they both went down to tie breakers, which the Serbian was unable to turn his way.

It was at this stage that the reigning Wimbledon champion began his fightback, showing glimpses of his tennis mastery as he fought back to win the third set 6-1, making light work of his opponent’s efforts to win the match in straight sets.

The fourth set was a highly competitive affair, with both players fighting for every point with some fantastic shots entertaining a vibrant and lively crowd. The set ended in favour of Djokovic, 6-4, at which point the umpire called the match to a halt until play could resume on Tuesday, upsetting the assembled tennis fans who were itching to experience an enthralling finish to the exciting affair.

When play resumed on Tuesday the excellent tennis was reignited, and it took a supreme effort from Djokovic to secure the match, winning the final set 7-5.

Speaking about the showdown after the match, the world number one complimented his South African opponent.

“Kevin served exceptionally well. This was one of the most difficult matches I have played at Wimbledon in my career,” Djokovic said to the media at the post match press conference.

“It was high-quality tennis in the fifth set. At times I was helpless with my return – it was very difficult to read his serve and he was very aggressive. I was two sets down and coming back to win gives me great satisfaction and confidence for my next challenge,” he added.

The 29-year-old South African defeated Frenchman Lucas Pouille in the first round, before getting the better of Turkey’s Marsel Ilhan in the second round, and then Leonardo Mayer of Argentina in the third.

The 14th seeded Anderson’s previous best ever run came in 2014 when he reached the fourth round, and he made a huge effort to upset the expectations with 40 aces during the memorable match.