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Novak Djokovic advanced to the Wimbledon quarterfinals on Sunday, defeating Roman Safiullin 7-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the tournament's round of 16.
The 39-year-old Serbian recorded his 106th career win at Wimbledon, surpassing Roger Federer's men's record of 105 victories at the tournament and becoming the most successful men's player in Wimbledon history by that measure.
Djokovic also reached his ninth consecutive Wimbledon quarterfinal and his 17th overall at the third Grand Slam tournament of the season.
Safiullin, ranked 132nd in the world, did not make the match easy for the higher-ranked Djokovic. The 28-year-old Russian reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2023 and arrived at this year's round of 16 having upset 12th seed Andrey Rublev and 24th seed Joao Fonseca earlier in the tournament.
He led 5-2 in the first set and held two set points before Djokovic fought back to win the tiebreak. Djokovic went on to take the second set as well, but Safiullin broke his serve in the third set, preventing a straight-sets finish and forcing a fourth set.
Djokovic regained control in the fourth set, closing out the match after roughly three and a half hours on court.
According to Reuters, Djokovic was challenged by windy conditions and his own unforced errors at times, but he regained his advantage by adjusting his serve and tactics. Djokovic won 69% of points on his first serve during the match.
According to the BBC, Djokovic dealt with an eye issue in the early stages of the match. He received an on-court warning later in the contest for audible cursing, and after being broken in the third set, he forcefully threw the ball against a wall on the far side of the court.
Djokovic addressed his conduct in his post-match comments, saying, "I'm known for my anger outbursts and tantrums, and I had a few of those today too, so I apologize."
The Guardian reported that Djokovic said he hopes to move from what he described as "survival" mode into "improvement" mode in the tournament's remaining rounds.
Djokovic is a seven-time Wimbledon champion, with his most recent title coming in 2022. He reached the final in both 2023 and 2024 but lost to Carlos Alcaraz on each occasion, who is not competing this year due to a wrist injury.
An eighth Wimbledon title this year would equal Federer's tournament record for championships won. Djokovic is also pursuing his 25th Grand Slam title, a mark that would extend his position as the most decorated Grand Slam champion in tennis history.
In the quarterfinals, Djokovic will face Felix Auger-Aliassime, who defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to reach the last eight.
The match will mark Djokovic's 17th Wimbledon quarterfinal appearance, underlining his long-standing record of consistency at the tournament.
Jannik Sinner, the defending champion, is also through to the quarterfinal stage, along with several other seeded players, as the men's draw at the All England Club continues into its second week.
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