Novak Djokovic’s quest for an elusive 25th major championship continued in the fourth round of Wimbledon on Sunday. In the process, the 39-year-old Serbian etched his name into the history of the All England Club.
Djokovic defeated Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin 7-6 (6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to become Wimbledon’s biggest singles win for a man, passing Swiss legend Roger Federer. Djokovic has 106 and that number continues to rise.
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However, she needs 14 more wins at the London Grand Slam to match the legendary Czech-American Martina Navratilova, who leads the women’s rankings with 120 singles wins in grass-court majors.
Navratilova retired after winning Wimbledon nine times. Federer timed out at 8. Djokovic has not won seven matches since 2022. But after previously discussing the importance of conserving energy early in major tournaments, he made it through the first three rounds of this year’s Wimbledon with relative ease.
None of these matches went to five sets. Thanks to Friday’s record-breaking feat, he remains on a collision course with world number one and defending Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner, who will face Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki on Sunday. Djokovic lost in the semifinals last year to the 24-year-old Italian prodigy in straight sets.
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Sinner and Djokovic are expected to meet there again this year if they both win their respective quarterfinal matches.
Djokovic proposed on Friday to play alongside Federer at Wimbledon, No. 106. Instead, he will face Safiullin, who has fallen to 132nd in the ATP rankings due to repeated injuries. However, it is important to note that Safiullin was a Wimbledon quarter-finalist in 2023.
It was a worthy matchup, especially after Safiurin defeated 24th seed Joao Fonseca of Brazil 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in the third round. After all, it was Fonseca who beat Djokovic in the last Grand Slam at Roland Garros.
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Still, Djokovic’s play was irresistible and the nostalgia it evoked was undeniable. Djokovic held a 27-23 advantage over Federer on tour. He is currently ahead of Federer in the Wimbledon singles championship rankings.
But for now at least, Federer maintains a one-title lead at the All England Club.
