Novak Djokovic battled back to remain on course for a fifth successive Wimbledon men’s title on the day women’s world number one Iga Swiatek suffered a quarter-final exit.

Defending champion Djokovic swatted aside Andrey Rublev to set up a semi-final clash with Jannik Sinner, while Swiatek’s hopes were ended by the impressive Elina Svitolina.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at how day nine at the All England Club unfolded.

No stopping Novak

Novak Djokovic equalled Roger Federer’s record for the most men’s grand slam singles semi-final appearances by coming from a set down to defeat Andrey Rublev.

The Serbian’s 4-6 6-1 6-4 6-3 victory sent him through to the last four at a major for the 46th time and extended his winning run at Wimbledon to 33 matches.

Djokovic is now only two wins away from yet another grand slam title and, although his performance was not quite perfect, it was another demonstration of what it will take to stop the 36-year-old lifting the trophy for an eighth time.

Jannik Sinner will be the next man to try and do that after he booked the first grand slam semi-final of his career by beating Roman Safiullin 6-4 3-6 6-2 6-2.

Tweet of the daySvitolina sinks Swiatek

Elina Svitolina claimed the mother of all victories by knocking out top seed Iga Swiatek.

The unseeded Ukrainian, who only gave birth to her daughter Skai nine months ago, ousted Swiatek with a dramatic 7-5 6-7 (5) 6-2 victory on Centre Court.

She has now beaten four grand slam singles champions – Venus Williams, Sofia Kenin, Victoria Azarenka and now Swiatek – to become the first wildcard into the last four of the women’s draw in SW19 since 2011.

it sets up a semi-final meeting with 2019 French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova, who earlier upset world number four Jessica Pegula.

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Will Young marked his Nottinghamshire debut with an unbeaten century to anchor the visitors’ response on day two of their LV= Insurance County Championship match against leaders Surrey at the Kia Oval.

The New Zealand international, who is on a three-match contract with the Trent Bridge outfit, provided immediate value with a fluent knock of 106 not out that guided them to 248 for five at the close, trailing Surrey by 107.

Young shared a second-wicket partnership of 134 with Haseeb Hameed, who hit 67, while Surrey’s Jamie Overton took two wickets on his return to bowling action for the first time this summer after recovering from a back injury.

Surrey had earlier posted 355 all out in their first innings, with Nottinghamshire all-rounder Lyndon James picking up the last two wickets to register career-best figures of six for 74.

Tom Westley’s 28th first-class hundred and his century partnership with Paul Walter rescued Essex from a poor start at Blackpool before a late fightback by Lancashire saw the visitors bowled out for 282.

Skipper Westley made 135, his third century of the season, with Walter eventually out for 76.

Tom Bailey, with six for 59, led a good reply by Lancashire, who closed on 37 for one to be 245 behind.

Rob Yates compiled a double century to put Warwickshire in a commanding position against Kent at Canterbury.

The visitors declared their first innings on 549 for seven, a lead of 378, before reducing Kent to 55 for one.

Yates hit his highest first-class score of 228 not out, with 23 fours and a six, having batted for nearly nine hours, while Australia’s Glenn Maxwell made 81 in his first Championship appearance for four years.

Chris Rushworth bowled Tawanda Muyeye for a duck early in Kent’s second innings, with the hosts ailing 323 runs adrift.

Ryan Higgins struck a sixth half-century of the season to guide Middlesex to only their second batting bonus point of the campaign and a first-innings lead over Northamptonshire in the Division One basement battle at Merchant Taylors’ School.

Higgins made 64 not out to steady the ship from 127 for five to a total of 277, which edged them 58 in front. Mark Stoneman contributed 51, while Northamptonshire off-spinner Rob Keogh returning three for 52 and Ben Sanderson three for 77.

Returning to make an impact with the ball when Northamptonshire batted again, Higgins removing both Ricardo Vasconcelos (22) and Justin Broad (five) as the visitors finished on 55 for two.

James Rew became Somerset’s youngest double-centurion in first-class cricket as Somerset took control against Hampshire at Taunton.

The 19-year-old extended his overnight score of 77 to 221 before being last man out in his side’s first innings total of 500.

Kasey Aldridge (88) and Dom Bess (54) also contributed to Somerset’s impressive recovery from 80 for five before Hampshire limped to 58 for two at close.

In Division Two, Alex Lees scored his third century in as many innings to guide leaders Durham into a strong position against Gloucestershire at Chester-le-Street.

Lees anchored the innings with a flawless 195, his highest score as a Durham player, while Graham Clark made 82 after the hosts were reduced to 109 for four in reply to Gloucestershire’s 316.

Brydon Carse finished the day unbeaten on 60 in Durham’s 433 for eight, which gave them a 117-run lead.

Opener Finlay Bean hit a career-best 135 to consolidate Yorkshire’s position against Worcestershire at a showery New Road.

The 21-year-old, dropped twice on the opening day, put on 177 with Adam Lyth (79) – Yorkshire’s best opening stand for seven years.

Worcestershire fought back, with seamer Adam Finch taking five wickets for 100, but Yorkshire maintained their grip after Matthew Fisher and Ben Coad dismissed both openers as the hosts finished 46 for two.

On another rain-affected day in Cardiff, Glamorgan lost captain David Lloyd for six on his return to action, but steadied the ship to reach 54 for one at close against second-placed Leicestershire.

Lloyd – soon to be leaving the Welsh capital – was bowled by Matt Salisbury before 32 from Zain-ul-Hassan as part of a 44-run partnership with Sam Northeast restored the hosts’ composure.

Derbyshire wicketkeeper Brooke Guest hit an unbeaten 80 to frustrate Sussex’s promotion hopes at a rain-hit Hove as his side reached 212 for three in reply to Sussex’s 402, trailing by 190.

Novak Djokovic equalled Roger Federer’s record for the most men’s grand slam singles semi-final appearances in history by coming from a set down to defeat Andrey Rublev.

The Serbian’s 4-6 6-1 6-4 6-3 victory on Centre Court sent him through to the last four at a major for the 46th time and extended his winning run at Wimbledon to 33 matches.

Djokovic is now only two wins away from yet another grand slam title and, although this performance was not quite perfect, it was another demonstration of what it will take to stop the 36-year-old lifting the trophy for an eighth time.

Rublev played a terrific match yet landed only a glancing blow on Djokovic, with the Russian now the first man in the open era to have lost his first eight slam quarter-finals.

He is one of the hardest hitters in the game, particularly off his forehand, while his intensity has made him a favourite of Djokovic’s five-year-old daughter Tara.

Rublev lost in straight sets to Djokovic at the same stage of the Australian Open and he knew the importance of hanging with the defending champion, which he did by saving three break points in the sixth game.

The pair were fighting fire with fire and Djokovic thrust his arm into the air after winning one particularly fierce exchange.

He dropped his level at the end of the opening set, though, and Rublev capitalised, clinching a break point to lead 5-4 and then serving it out.

It was the second set Djokovic had dropped in successive rounds after a wobble against Hubert Hurkacz but he responded in impressive fashion, racing into a 5-0 lead in the second set.

If Rublev struggles to get to sleep, it may well be because of the third set, where he certainly had his chances but could not take them.

Two break points came and went in the second game before Djokovic turned the dial to relentless in the fifth game and got the break.

Rublev did well to stay in it, saving more break points at 2-4, and it so nearly paid off with Djokovic serving at 5-4. Missing two set points seemed to set the second seed on edge and the game turned into a Wimbledon classic.

Djokovic saved one break point with a rare serve and volley only for Rublev to set up another in a brilliant net exchange.

Djokovic was wavering on second serve in particular but Rublev could not take advantage and, after saving three break points in total, he finally converted his fifth set point.

The Serbian gave a long look to his support camp before giving an extended clench of the fist towards the crowd, who had been strongly supporting his opponent – even against a Russian opponent, Djokovic was still second favourite.

Playing here made Djokovic just the third player ever after Federer and Serena Williams to contest 400 slam singles matches, and he has now won a remarkable 353 of them.

While Rublev continued to battle in the fourth set, another break of serve in the third game gave Djokovic the advantage and he pulled away to set up a semi-final clash with Jannik Sinner.

Elina Svitolina has priorities far bigger than tennis but that has not stopped her from producing a fairytale run to the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

The Ukrainian wildcard stunned world number one Iga Swiatek in a 7-5 6-7 (5) 6-2 victory on Centre Court having only returned to the sport three months ago following the birth of her daughter, Skai.

Svitolina is also taking motivation from the Russian invasion of her country as she moves closer to a scarcely believable first grand-slam title.

“I think it’s mixture of everything,” she said. “I think war made me stronger and also made me, like, mentally stronger. Mentally I don’t take difficult situations as like a disaster, you know? There are worse things in life. I’m just more calm.

“I think also, because I’ve just started to play again, I have different pressures. Of course, I want to win. I have this motivation, like huge motivation, to come back to the top.

“But I think having a child, and war, made me a different person. I look at the things a bit differently.”

The 28-year-old and her compatriots pointedly refuse to shake hands with players from Russia and Belarus, which prompted boos for Belarusian Victoria Azarenka after their fourth-round match.

If she beats Marketa Vondrousova on Thursday Svitolina could face another Belarusian, second seed Aryna Sabalenka, in the final.

“It’s still very, very far from that. I already played Azarenka the day before, so yeah, I cannot say much,” she said.

“As I mentioned before, each time I play against them, it’s big motivation, big responsibility as well for me. Different motivation as well for my country.

“But right now it’s very, very far. It seems very close, but it’s very far from this. Still I have to win. They have to win. So let’s stay here right now.”

Swiatek, just as she had in her previous match against Belinda Bencic, came from a set down to draw level and seemed to have snatched the momentum.

But Svitolina dominated the final set and stood in disbelief with her hands over her mouth when Swiatek hit the net on match point.

Swiatek has been a huge supporter of the Ukrainian cause following the invasion and wears a blue and yellow ribbon in her cap.

“It was much tougher game I would say because she’s a great person, she’s a big champion,” said Svitolina. “She’s done so much, and is still doing so much for Ukraine. We really admire her in Ukraine.

“In a way when you’re playing your good buddy, it’s tough because you don’t want to see her or him losing.

“When I was away from tennis, I was really cheering for her, really happy with her results.”

The feeling is mutual, according to Swiatek.

“I think overall, looking at her career, having a grand slam title would be pretty amazing for her. She’s coming back after becoming a mother,” said the Pole, 22.

“I think, yeah, I’ll root for her, especially because we like each other as people. I told her at the net that I hope she wins this tournament.

“You know how it is in tennis. It’s tough to win a grand slam. I know that for sure she wants it really bad. So I will be rooting for her, yeah.”

Marketa Vondrousova revealed an impromptu pep talk from her husband helped inspired her stunning Wimbledon quarter-final comeback win over world number four Jessica Pegula.

The 2019 French Open finalist was trailing 3-1 in the deciding set against the American when play was suspended for more than 20 minutes to allow the Court One roof to be closed due to forecasted rain.

Vondrousova spoke on the phone with spouse Stepan Simek during the unexpected stoppage and, once play resumed, battled back from 4-1 and a break point down to continue her greatest run at the All England Club with a gripping 6-4 2-6 6-4 success.

The 24-year-old was in tears following a victory which sets up a semi-final clash with Elina Svitolina and admits the break was beneficial.

“I actually didn’t see my coach,” she said of the weather delay. “I was alone in the waiting room.

“I chatted a bit with my husband. We talked on the phone. He just said, ‘try to fight, you are playing good, you are playing a great match’.

“That was it. I think the break helped actually. It was good.

“She had break points for 5-1. You are not in a good mood. I just kept belief in myself.

“After the match point, I couldn’t believe it. I just couldn’t hold the tears.”

Pegula, playing in her sixth grand slam quarter-final, looked certain to reach a first major career singles semi-final until the intermission.

The 29-year-old appeared unhappy about the decision to halt proceedings and soon had further reason to feel irked after her Czech opponent rattled off five games on the bounce in a dramatic twist under the roof.

For the time being, Vondrousova expects her husband to remain in Prague to work and care for the couple’s cat but suggested that situation could change should she overcome Ukrainian wildcard Svitolina to reach the final.

“I think for semis he won’t come,” said the world number 42, who had never previously been past the second round at SW19 before this year.

“We’ll see what happens. He has to work. He has to take care of our cat. He has to stay home.

“I never thought I could play so good here because I didn’t do well on grass before.

“Every match is incredibly difficult here. We’ll see what’s going to happen next.”

Jannik Sinner lived up to his billing as Wimbledon’s poster boy by booking a grand slam semi-final place for the first time in his career.

The Italian featured prominently in an official poster alongside Carlos Alcaraz as the future of the tournament.

His presence on illustrator Grant Gruenhaupt’s artwork raised eyebrows but he is living up to the hype after reaching a grand slam semi-final for the first time with a masterful 6-4 3-6 6-2 6-2 win over Roman Safiullin.

He is the youngest man to reach this stage of Wimbledon since 2007, a record that will only last until tomorrow.

But the eighth seed certainly has the game for success at SW19, dropping just two sets on his way to the last four, and was too good for the Russian, who was enjoying a breakout grand slam.

His power from the baseline and mobility around court will stand him in good stead for what is now likely to be the toughest test possible of his credentials by facing Novak Djokovic in the last four.

He said: “What should I say, it means a lot to me, we put a lot of work in and many, many hours and a lot of sacrifices for this moment.

“It means a lot, it is a very nice moment for me. I just try my best every match, I am very happy to be in the semi-finals.

“He is a very tough player to play against.”

Sinner took early control of the match and forced break points at 2-2 though could not convert, but made no mistake at 4-4, chasing down a drop shot to set up the break.

Some fierce serving allowed him to quickly take the first set and when he struck early in the second to lead 3-1 it looked like it would be over very quickly.

But Safiullin, who had never been past the second round at a grand slam before this tournament, was able to recapture the form that had seen him beat Roberto Bautista Agut and Denis Shapovalov and reeled off five successive games to level up.

Sinner was able to wrestle back control and regained the lead thanks to four successive games at the end of the third set.

He fended off break points at the start of the fourth and that proved pivotal as he made his move at 3-2, sealing a break as Safiullin pulled a forehand wide.

Sinner wrapped things up quickly after that to book his first last-four appearance at a grand slam.

Wheelchair tennis star Alfie Hewett believes he has the “weapons, heart and mentality” to win Wimbledon and complete a clean sweep of grand slam singles titles.

The individual championship at the All England Club is the only notable gap on the glittering CV of the 25-year-old, who on Wednesday afternoon begins his campaign against Belgium’s Joachim Gerard.

Hewett feels his grass-court game is in the best shape ever and is confident it is only a matter of time until he lifts the elusive trophy.

“I don’t want to be overconfident but I don’t want to sell myself short,” he said.

“There’s a title to be won and I believe I’ve got the weapons, heart and mentality to be able to do that.

“It’s an absolute dream to become a champion here and obviously with it being the one that I haven’t won here it’s an even bigger dream.

“I will try and use that as motivation, channel it in a good way and whatever happens – whether it’s this year, next year, a few years – I back myself and believe I can do it.”

Hewett won the Australian Open in January to add to a trio of singles titles at both the US Open and the French Open.

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He suffered an agonising loss to Japanese top seed Shingo Kunieda, who has since retired, in last year’s SW19 final but thinks that disappointment has strengthened his resolve.

“I don’t know how many hours of tennis I had played that week, I probably had five, 10 per cent left in the tank,” he said.

“I played against an absolute legend of the sport who was also desperate and hungry to win his very first Wimbledon title.

“I pushed him all the way to the very end and it came down to a few points. It was a turning point for me in my career in how I deal with things on the court and my mentality.”

In addition to his individual achievements, Hewett has also lifted 17 grand slam doubles titles alongside long-term partner Gordon Reid.

Those triumphs include each of the majors and four Wimbledon successes.

Scotsman Reid, who begins against Argentinian Gustavo Fernandez in the singles and will again team up with Hewett in the doubles, feels wheelchair tennis is no longer a “secondary thought”.

“The more the people are aware of it, the spectators and also the organisers and the tournament directors here, they’re more active in pushing it,” said the 31-year-old, who won the Wimbledon singles title in 2016.

“I think they see the value in it now whereas before it was maybe we were just a secondary thought.

“It’s now, the ‘wheelchair game adds something to the event’ and that’s good for them and also good for us.

“It’s the best week of the year really for us. At the end of the day, sport is entertainment and if we can be entertaining the profile will rise.”

Carlos Alcaraz and Holgar Rune played doubles together as children, and on Wednesday they will meet in the youngest Wimbledon quarter-final of the open era.

World number one Alcaraz and sixth seed Rune teamed up at a tournament in France called Petits As when they were 14.

Six years on and the duo, now 20, will do battle on Centre Court for a place in the semi-finals.

“It’s great. It’s a good feeling. It shows that the young players are doing a great job. For me it’s cool. For him it’s also cool, I guess,” said Danish hot-shot Rune.

“To be able to play a quarter-final against a player that is the same age, at the top of the ranking, feels amazing. I’m really looking forward to that match. I even looked at it when I was in the first round.

“I couldn’t really afford to look at it because there were so many matches before this would eventually happen. Now we’re here so I’m really pumped and excited for it.”

Rune came through in four sets against Grigor Dimitrov while Spanish sensation Alcaraz passed his sternest test yet, beating former finalist Matteo Berrettini in four.

“Carlos had a big forehand also in juniors,” added Rune. “I think he’s the same, just so much better now. I think back then he was Carlos, and now he’s Carlos. He’s the same, just improved very, very a lot and very quickly.

“We played doubles one time in Petits As. Hopefully we can do it again, but now we’re going to battle against each other.

“It was good, because he’s amazing. Also, the more shots he could hit the better. We played good together. I think we made the semi-final.

“For sure I would like to play doubles with him again. I know he doesn’t play a lot of doubles, me too. But maybe one day we can have a chance to play.”

Chris Woakes admits his triumphant return to Ashes cricket left him “quite emotional” after accepting his time as a Test player might have come to an end.

Woakes stepped up with bat and ball after being thrust into last week’s must-win clash at Headingley, 16 months after he last donned his England whites on the ill-fated tour of the West Indies.

Defeat in Grenada spelled the end of Joe Root’s captaincy and ushered in the ‘Bazball’ era, with Woakes watching on from the outside as English cricket turned a new corner under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.

Injury saw Woakes miss the entirety of last summer and, although he returned to the limited-overs set-up in time to win the T20 World Cup in November, the 34-year-old was beginning to believe the Test team had left him behind.

Watching the all-rounder take three Australian wickets in each innings in the third Test, then guide his side home with an unbeaten 32, that now seems hard to imagine.

But Woakes, who opted not to put his name forward for this year’s Indian Premier League in a bid to keep his red-ball skills sharp, is honest enough to say he was worried.

“It’s quite emotional actually. You sometimes think the ship has sailed, of course you do,” he said of his match-winning return.

“You do wonder, especially when the team was going so well last summer and I wasn’t involved. It’s hard.

“Obviously I had injuries and stuff, but I made a big decision at the start of summer not to go to India and, you know, it’s days like these which make that sort of decision pay off, comfortably.

“Sometimes you don’t always get the rewards that you deserve, but I felt like I played well in this game and got the rewards I deserve.”

Those rewards included scoring the winning runs, clattering Mitchell Starc through point for a boundary which sent a sold-out crowd wild.

“It literally doesn’t get any better than that, I don’t think,” he reflected.

“The feeling of that roar, the Western Terrace going mad. It’s pretty special, pretty cool. If you could bottle that up forever and come back to it, you would.”

Attention now turns towards Emirates Old Trafford, where England will look to level the series scoreline at 2-2 to set up a decider at the Kia Oval.

The tourists have two chances to become the first Australian men’s side to win an Ashes series on English soil since 2001, but Woakes has warned that the task will not get any easier.

“In our dressing room the belief is we can win 3-2, I think it’s always been there,” he said.

“You don’t want to look too far ahead, you have to play what’s in front of you, each ball, each day, each session, each Test match as it comes. I’d imagine when you’re so close to getting something, the harder it gets, and I’m sure the Aussies will be feeling that now.

“Once you get so close to something, it’s actually hard to get that over the line, isn’t it? We’ve got turn up in Manchester and put in another performance. They’re an extremely good side and we’re going to have to be at our best to beat them again.”

Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from July 11.

Lionel Messi enjoyed relaxing time with his family.

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David Beckham got emotional celebrating his daughter’s birthday.

Clara Mateo believes France can put their pre-World Cup difficulties behind them as they look to unite under new head coach Herve Renard.

Les Bleues were embroiled in a pre-tournament saga involving a group of leading players and former coach Corinne Diacre, who oversaw their run to the semi-finals of Euro 2022.

A revolt from several players – including captain Wendie Renard and Eugenie Le Sommer – ultimately led to Diacre's dismissal, with two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner Herve Renard installed in her place.

With the drama over, Mateo is hopeful the squad can put their troubles behind them in Australia and New Zealand, where they face Jamaica, Brazil and Panama in the group stage.

"I think there's a very good understanding between the players and the staff," she told Stats Perform. "We're all doing our bit, and we're all keen to represent France well at this World Cup.

"As far as we're concerned, we're concentrating on ourselves. We know what we have to do, and we'll give it our all on the pitch.

"[Herve Renard] puts a lot of emphasis on the mental aspect and the cohesion within the group. He brings all his experience from all the competitions he's played in before.

"You want to listen to everything he has to say. We want to fight for him. They [the staff] have lots of things to teach us and we're very receptive. We're working to be ready for D-Day."

Mateo described her inclusion in the squad as the fulfilment of a dream, adding that France have learned from their semi-final loss to Germany at last year's European Championships.

"Now that it's become a goal, I think it's a great achievement," she said on making the squad. 

"[But] there's still a long way to go. We want to do well at this World Cup. We're going there with ambitions.

"We've set ourselves the target of reaching the semi-finals, because that's something we haven't done in the past. We want to reach the semi-finals.

"Obviously, in the back of our minds, what we want is to win this World Cup. So we're going to the World Cup with a lot of ambition, and we know that we have this objective."

Herve Renard's arrival as France coach has made Les Bleues think they are "the best in the world" and fostered belief in their chances of winning the Women's World Cup, says Selma Bacha.

Renard, who oversaw Saudi Arabia's incredible win over eventual champions Argentina at the men's World Cup last year, took the reins in March following the dismissal of Corinne Diacre.

The French Football Federation removed Diacre from the role after a group of players – including captain Wendie Renard – refused to represent the team if she remained in charge.

With France gearing up to face Jamaica in their Group F opener in Sydney on July 23, Lyon star Bacha has been impressed by Renard's impact, telling Stats Perform: "He put us in a good mood. 

"He made us realise that we were the best in the world, that we had great, great potential and that he was coming in with a game plan.

"Everyone understands this game plan, so when everyone understands, we're all in the same boat. 

"Frankly, I'm ready to die for this coach, this staff, and I hope that my soldiers – in other words, my team-mates – are ready."

France suffered a semi-final exit against Germany at least year's European Championships in England, but Bacha is confident they can improve on that showing in Australia and New Zealand.

Asked if she believed France could win the tournament, Bacha said: "Frankly, yes, I do. Once again, it's all very well to talk, but now we have to act. 

"It's all very well to say, 'we believe in it', but now we have to act. Right now, the group is top notch, we're living well and we know that we want this title that France so desperately needs."

Having represented France since 2021, Bacha is relishing the prospect of making her first World Cup appearance later this month.

"It's a dream, a childhood dream," she said. "I never thought I'd experience this kind of moment. I'd been to the Euros, but a World Cup is still a World Cup.

"I'm very proud because I know I've worked hard to get here and I still have room for improvement, as the coach says. But in any case, it's a dream come true.

"I'm really happy because I never thought things would progress so quickly, and then, I'm someone who listens a lot. When someone comes to give me advice, I listen carefully. I'm very proud of that. 

"I know that I still have room for improvement and I have very high goals, but I know I'll get there. For the moment, I'm very happy with the start of my career."

Pello Bilbao pointed to the sky in memory of his late team-mate Gino Mader as he celebrated his first career Tour de France stage win in Issoire on Tuesday.

Bilbao triumphed from a breakaway, a first Spanish stage win in five years, sparking emotional scenes less than a month after Mader died following a high-speed crash at the Tour de Suisse.

The pair were close friends, with Mader even having adopted a stray dog from the city of Bilbao and naming him Pello. In his podium interview, the Basque rider said the memory of Mader was “the only reason” for his win.

“It was hard to prepare the last two weeks with him in mind, but staying with my family at home helped me a lot, just to keep calm, be positive and put all my positive energy to try to do something nice in the Tour,” he said.

“I wanted to do it in the first Basque stages, that was so special for me but it was not possible so I just waited for my moment.

“I was maybe thinking my position in the overall was going to be a problem but I decided to a make an all-in move and in the end it was the right movement.

“My first victory in the Tour in 13 years as a pro is such a special moment for me.”

It was also an expensive one. Following Mader’s death, Bilbao had pledged to replicate the Swiss rider’s charitable gesture – donating one euro to environmental causes for every rider he finishes ahead of on each stage, also promising to double the donation if he won a stage.

Bilbao had already run up a bill of more than 1,200 euros in the opening week and will not mind having cost himself much more with a victory which also propelled him up the general classification to fifth, four and a half minutes behind Jonas Vingegaard who still leads by 17 seconds from Tadej Pogacar.

The 167km stage from Vulcania through the Massif Central looked custom-designed for a breakaway as racing resumed in sweltering temperatures after Monday’s rest day, but things were never so simple on a day when the attacks raged from the start to the finish.

Vingegaard and Pogacar were both involved in some of the early moves, splitting the main peloton, before 14 riders eventually got away.

But it was only occasionally a cohesive group. Krists Neilands launched an attack at the foot of the final climb and crested it with an advantage of 30 seconds, but that tumbled on the descent towards town and he was caught by a chasing group of five with three kilometres left.

Bilbao felt confident he was the fastest and let Zimmerman move to the front before launching his sprint with a couple of hundred metres left.

“With cold blood I let Zimmerman make his sprint and I went on the wheel, then it was just full gas for the last 200 metres thinking of nothing,” he said. “I crossed the line and I just put out all the energy inside of me and remembered the reason for this victory, a special one – for Gino.”

The main peloton came to the line a little under three minutes later with no change in the top four in the standings, while Bilbao jumped up six places with Adam Yates, Simon Yates and Tom Pidcock now sixth, seventh and eighth overall respectively.

Mark Cavendish is due to have surgery on his broken right collarbone on Wednesday after being forced out of the Tour by a crash on Saturday.

The 38-year-old has previously announced his intention to retire at the end of the season but has been offered a one-year contract extension by Astana-Qazaqstan.