Novak Djokovic etched his name further into Wimbledon history on Sunday after becoming the winningest men’s singles player at the All England Club, defeating Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin to book his place in the quarter-finals.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion overcame Safiullin 7-6 (8/6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, securing his 106th men’s singles match victory at the prestigious Grand Slam and surpassing Roger Federer’s long-standing record.
Only women’s tennis legend Martina Navratilova, with 120 singles victories, has recorded more match wins at Wimbledon across both the men’s and women’s competitions.
The victory also marked Djokovic’s 17th Wimbledon quarter-final appearance—his ninth consecutive—while extending his all-time record to 66 Grand Slam quarter-finals, further cementing his status as one of tennis’ greatest players.
The 39-year-old Serbian will next face either Canadian third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime or Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina for a place in the semi-finals.
A win in the last eight could set up a highly anticipated semi-final clash against defending champion Jannik Sinner, who was scheduled to take on Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki in the fourth round.
Reflecting on his performance, Djokovic admitted the match was far from straightforward.
“Survive to thrive, that’s how I feel. So hopefully the thriving part is coming,” he said.
He also acknowledged the mental challenge of staying focused throughout long matches.
“Our mind wanders all the time; it’s very hard to keep it in the present moment. Whoever does that is a winner.”
Despite moments of inconsistency, Djokovic maintained his remarkable record against lower-ranked opponents, preserving a 100 percent record in Wimbledon matches against players ranked outside the world’s top 100.
The Serbian has also now won all 34 Grand Slam matches he has played against qualifiers during his illustrious career.
Although he has dropped sets in three of his four matches at this year’s Championships, Djokovic has continued to find ways to advance as he pursues another historic milestone.
He is aiming to capture a record 25th Grand Slam singles title, which would move him ahead of Margaret Court for the most major singles titles in tennis history.
Victory at Wimbledon would also see Djokovic equal Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon men’s singles titles and become the oldest man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam singles championship.
The Serbian also extended another remarkable achievement by becoming the first man to reach five Wimbledon quarter-finals at the age of 35 or older, surpassing the previous record held by Federer.
While Djokovic remains one of the favourites for this year’s title, tougher challenges lie ahead as the tournament enters its decisive stages.
