Djokovic breaks Federer's Wimbledon wins record but labours past qualifier Safiullin
Novak Djokovic earned his 106th Wimbledon match win, surpassing Roger Federer's men's record, but had to overcome a tough challenge from qualifier Roman Safiullin and his own frustrations on Centre Court.
Djokovic's milestone
Novak Djokovic set a men's record for most match wins at Wimbledon after beating Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin 7-6(6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 on Sunday. The victory was his 106th at the All England Club, moving him one ahead of Roger Federer's 105. Only Martina Navratilova, with 120 wins, has more singles victories at the tournament. Djokovic, a seven-time champion, also reached his 17th Wimbledon quarterfinal, one shy of Federer's record of 18.
Not on my priority list. Didn't even know about it until after the last match win... That's really quite insignificant to me at the moment.
The 39-year-old Serb is chasing an eighth Wimbledon title and a record-extending 25th Grand Slam trophy. He will next face either third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
A scrappy win
Djokovic struggled against the world No. 132, who was playing his first Wimbledon since a hip injury. He saved two set points when trailing 5-2 in the first set and received a warning for yelling an obscenity in Serbian. After losing the third set, he hit a ball away in frustration and drew boos from the crowd. Djokovic later apologised for what he called "meltdowns".
I had a few of those today.
He said he opted to play more at the net after being outplayed in long rallies. The match lasted nearly three and a half hours.
- Martina Navratilova
- 120
- Novak Djokovic
- 106
- Roger Federer
- 105
Osaka stuns Sabalenka
Naomi Osaka produced the biggest upset of the day, eliminating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 7-6(2). It was Osaka's first win over Sabalenka this season after three losses, and it sent the Japanese former No. 1 into her first Wimbledon quarterfinal. Sabalenka, the top seed, said she wanted to "get completely drunk, forget about tennis, and try to get in better shape." Osaka will face Karolina Muchova, who beat defending champion Barbora Krejcikova.
Gauff and Pegula advance
Coco Gauff reached her first Wimbledon quarterfinal with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Belinda Bencic in a match that finished just before the 11 p.m. curfew. The seventh-seeded American will meet compatriot Jessica Pegula, who beat Iva Jovic. Gauff joked she was racing against the clock and was glad she "didn't choose basketball."
Other notable results
Karolina Muchova returned to the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time in five years after overcoming injury. Iva Jovic, after losing to Pegula, said she planned to stay up late to watch England's World Cup match against Mexico. Djokovic also discussed his use of recovery technology, from hyperbaric chambers to red light therapy.
