It took nearly 3 1/2 hours against a qualifier ranked No. 132 in the world, but seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic prevailed Sunday for his 106th match victory, eclipsing Roger Federer for the No. 1 spot on the men’s all-time list at the All England Club.
Pursuing Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles, the Serbian legend is just three wins away after outlasting Russia’s Roman Safiullin 7-6 (6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals.
Martina Navratilova holds the overall Wimbledon record with 120 match wins.
Djokovic, who saved two set two points in the first set while trailing 5-2, reached his 17th Wimbledon quarterfinal, one shy of Federer’s record.
The 39-year-old former World No. 1 was also warned for a Serbian obscenity when Safiullin broke his serve in the third set, and apologized for his behavior in his post-match interview.
“Survive to thrive, that’s how I feel,” Djokovic said on Center Court. “So hopefully the thriving part is coming.”
The sun and wind apparently gave Djokovic problems, but he was able to rally from 5-2 in the opening set to force a tiebreaker and win on his third set point. He was warned by the umpire in the third set after going down 2-0, then was booed after hitting the ball away after dropping the set.
In the fourth set, Djokovic rebounded to take a 3-0 lead, then served out the match at love.
“Another hard-fought win,” he said. “Roman started very well. Roman started very well, very aggressively. I didn’t feel so comfortable from the back of the court. I knew it was going to be a challenge staying in the rallies with him. He’s a very solid player… He should be proud of the performance today.”
Djokovic will next play third-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime, who defeated No. 22 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a five-set thriller 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-1 that lasted nearly 4 1/2 hours.
Auger-Aliassime advanced to the quarterfinals at the All England Club for the first time since 2021, when the Canadian fell to eventual finalist Matteo Berrentini of Italy.
“I have played a few roller coaster matches in the course of my career, but this for sure is at the top of the charts,” Auger-Aliassime said. “It was a crazy match. Great level, high intensity, high focus because you are into the Round of 16. … I feel like there were barely a few points between us in the first two sets.”
Already trailing by a set, Auger-Aliassime faced three set points while serving at 5-6 in the second set, then battled back to save all three before securing the tiebreaker on his second set point.
Auger-Aliassime was poised to close out the match after cruising in the third set, but his Spanish opponent broke back while trailing 4-5 in the fourth set and narrowly pulled out the tiebreaker. The decisive fifth set was all Auger-Aliassime — he finished with 27 aces and saved six of seven break points — as he converted his seventh match point to secure the hard-fought victory.
Top-seeded Jannik Sinner of Italy had 15 aces among 44 winners while registering a 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory over qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki of Japan.
Out to defend his 2025 Wimbledon title, Sinner saved all five break points he faced. He was pushed to a tiebreaker in the second set, which he dominated, before putting away Mochizuki in their first career meeting.
“I tried to handle the situation slightly better than him, which I’ve done,” Sinner said. “But he’s an incredible player. Coming from qualies and playing such a high level for such a long time. It’s amazing and I wish him only the best. He should be proud of himself and of course his whole team.”
Sinner next faces German Jan-Lennard Struff, who advanced to his first career Grand Slam quarterfinal when fellow unseeded player Hubert Hurkacz of Poland was forced to retire in the fifth set with a left hip injury.
At age 36, Struff is the oldest man in the Open Era to reach his first career Grand Slam quarterfinal. He was leading 4-2 in the decisive fifth set when Hurkacz, a former Wimbledon semifinalist, pulled out. The match finished 3-6, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (2), 7-5, 4-2.
“A very aggressive player. A big, big server, so let’s see,” Sinner said of Struff. “But now most important is to rest and think about that tomorrow. I have big respect for him.”
–Field Level Media
