Wimbledon’s Centre Court saw a new chapter of tennis history written on Sunday, as Novak Djokovic surpassed Roger Federer to claim the all-time record for the most men’s singles match wins at the iconic grass-court major. The 39-year-old Serbian legend battled through a tense four-set clash against gritty Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin, sealing a 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 3-6 6-3 victory to book his spot in the tournament’s quarter-finals and notch his historic 106th SW19 win.
Djokovic had already drawn level with Federer’s long-standing record of 105 wins during his third-round triumph on Friday, meaning Sunday’s clash carried extra historical weight. Only Martina Navratilova, the nine-time women’s singles champion, holds more overall Wimbledon singles match wins than Djokovic now, with the American legend sitting top of the all-time list with 120 career victories.
The road to the record was far from smooth for Djokovic, who fought through multiple disruptions and moments of visible frustration during the three-hour contest. Early in the match, he appeared to struggle with an eye issue that threw off his rhythm, and he later received an official warning for using audible profanity after a loose point. When he dropped his serve in the third set, Djokovic fired a ball aggressively into the back of the opposite end of the court, escaping a harsher penalty by a narrow margin, an incident that drew boos from the Centre Court crowd.
Reflecting on his rocky road to the landmark win after the final point, Djokovic framed his first-week performance with a simple, determined mantra: “Survive to thrive – that’s how I feel. Hopefully the thriving part is coming!” He also offered a public apology for his on-court outbursts, acknowledging his well-documented tendency toward emotional moments during high-stakes contests. “I’m known for my outbursts and meltdowns, I had a few of those today so I apologise,” he said. “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, ranked 132nd in the world entering the tournament, turned in a performance that earned widespread respect from fans and pundits alike, pushing the tournament favourite far harder than many predicted. Six months prior to this Wimbledon run, the 28-year-old Russian was dealing with a severe injury that left him fearing he would never return to his top form. He had already pulled off two stunning upsets to reach the fourth round, ousting 12th seed Andrey Rublev and rising star Joao Fonseca, a victory that left Safiullin in tears of relief.
The hard-hitting qualifier came out swinging from the first game, immediately responding to an early Djokovic service break by winning five of the next six games to grab control of the first set. He faltered while serving for the set at 5-3, however, and ultimately dropped the set in a tight tiebreak. Despite the 125-spot gap in their ATP rankings, Safiullin continued to put pressure on Djokovic throughout the second set, but finally ceded a break of serve in the sixth game that handed the set to the Serbian.
By the third set, the physical toll of three consecutive five-set matches since the final qualifying round began to catch up with Safiullin, who needed a medical timeout to treat a nagging left leg injury. He still dug deep to claim the third set, marking his first ever set win against Djokovic in four tour-level meetings. Djokovic, who landed just 57% of his first serves in the match, let his frustration boil over after dropping his serve for a 4-2 lead, but managed to reset quickly once the tension passed.
Djokovic stepped up his intensity in the fourth set, breaking Safiullin to love in the second game as the qualifier’s energy and challenge began to fade. He closed out the match with a perfectly placed drop shot, serving out the victory to love, before embracing Safiullin at the net. The crowd gave Safiullin a warm, well-deserved round of applause for his spirited run at the tournament.
Djokovic is now through to his 17th Wimbledon quarter-final, where he will face either Canadian third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime or Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The Serbian star is still chasing two more major historical landmarks at this year’s tournament: matching Federer’s record of eight men’s singles Wimbledon titles, and claiming an outright record 25th Grand Slam singles title overall. While he has been taken to four sets in three of his four matches so far this year, the record-breaking champion remains the overwhelming favourite to lift the trophy once again.