Wimbledon, England — Novak Djokovic, who won seven of his 24 Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon, added another milestone on Saturday, becoming the third player in the history of the Grass Court Tournament, earning 100 wins.
Djokovic beat Serbian Miomile Kekmanovic 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 to advance to the 16th round, joining Martina Navratilova and Roger Federer, winning 100 singles matches at the All-England Club.
“Wimbledon is a favorite and dream tournament not only for myself, but perhaps for the majority of tennis players,” Djokovic said in an on-court interview. “Most kids dream of playing here and winning here… Whatever history I can make in my favorite tournaments, I’m blessed.”
Djokovic, 38, will play at his 20th Wimbledon, then face No. 11 in the quarterfinal spot.
The victory moved to the fourth round of Djokovic’s 68th Grand Slam, making him second only to Federer (69). He also joined Federer as the only man to win over 100 matches in two different majors since the start of the era of opening in 1968.
Navratilova, a nine-time Wimbledon singles champion, won 120 singles victory. Eight-time champion Federer won with 105 singles.
“It’s very historic. It sounds really good,” Djokovic said of joining their company.
Djokovic made just eight sets of errors in two sets before Davis Cup teammate Keckmanovic worked for his third victory.
“Except perhaps the last two games, I enjoy myself so much. Things got a little complicated,” said Djokovic, who finished with 60 winners and 16 aces with 19 forced errors. “It’s never easy to play a friend or compatriot.”
The highlights of the match take place in the eighth game of the first set, with Djokovic about to break. The winner of his diving backhand volley in the net for the fourth Deuce saw the ball in line and threw his shoulder down. On the ground, Djokovic smiles and immerses himself in applause before he gets a key break.
“I’m still strong, especially at this age, but I’m trying to push myself to the limit by competing with younger players and trying to make some slides and some splits on the court,” he said.
Djokovic, who could meet first-placed Giannik Sinner in the semi-finals, lost his last two Wimbledon finals to Carlos Alcaraz.
ESPN research and Associated Press contributed to this report.
