Novak Djokovic has etched his name deeper into Wimbledon history after defeating Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin to reach the quarter-finals of the 2026 Championships.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion battled to a 7-6 (8/6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory on Sunday, securing his 106th men’s singles match win at Wimbledon. The achievement moves him past Roger Federer, who previously held the men’s record with 105 victories. Only Martina Navratilova has won more singles matches at Wimbledon, with 120 across both the men’s and women’s events.
The victory also sends the 39-year-old into his 17th Wimbledon quarter-final and his ninth consecutive appearance at that stage. It marks his record-extending 66th Grand Slam quarter-final, where he will face either Canadian third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime or Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Djokovic remains on course for a potential semi-final clash with defending champion Jannik Sinner, provided both players win their respective quarter-final matches.
Despite the victory, Djokovic admitted he had to dig deep against the world No. 132, who produced an impressive performance and pushed the Serbian for more than three hours. The former world No. 1 also apologised to the Centre Court crowd after smashing a ball in frustration during the third set, describing his emotional outbursts as “meltdowns.”
The Serbian star is chasing a record 25th Grand Slam singles title, which would move him ahead of Margaret Court for the most major singles titles in tennis history. A triumph at Wimbledon would also see him equal Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon men’s singles titles and make him the oldest man to win a Grand Slam title in the Open Era.