Djokovic Breaks Roger Federer’s Wimbledon Record, Cruises into Wimbledon
Quarter-finals
Novak Djokovic etched his name deeper into Wimbledon history on Sunday, becoming the all-time leader for men’s singles match victories at the Championships after defeating Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin 7-6(8-6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals.
The Serbian great claimed his 106th Wimbledon singles victory, surpassing Roger Federer’s long-standing men’s record after equalling it with his third-round win on Friday.
Only women’s tennis legend Martina Navratilova, with 120 victories, has won more singles matches at Wimbledon.
Despite the historic milestone, Djokovic was made to work hard by the world No. 132.
The 39-year-old battled through moments of frustration, including an apparent eye issue early in the match and an emotional outburst that earned him a code violation for an audible obscenity.
After firing a ball into the back of the opposite side of the court following a service break in the third set, Djokovic was fortunate to avoid a harsher penalty before regaining his composure to seal victory in just over three hours.
“Survive to thrive—that’s how I feel,” Djokovic said after the match.
“Hopefully the thriving part is coming.”
Reflecting on his emotions during the contest, he added:
“I’m known for my outbursts and meltdowns. I had a few of those today, so I apologise. Our mind wanders all the time. It is very hard to keep it in the present moment.
Whoever manages to do that is the winner.”
Safiullin, who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals in the past, produced another spirited performance after upsetting 12th seed Andrey Rublev earlier in the tournament.
The Russian recovered from losing a tight opening-set tiebreak to claim the third set and briefly threaten an upset before Djokovic’s experience proved decisive.
The Serb responded emphatically in the fourth set, breaking serve early before comfortably closing out the match to book his place in a remarkable 17th Wimbledon quarter-final.
Djokovic remains on course to equal Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon men’s singles titles while also chasing a historic 25th Grand Slam singles crown.
He will face either Canada’s third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime or Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina for a place in the semi-finals.
