Wimbledon 2026: Djokovic Reaches Last Eight with Victory Over Safiullin

Djokovic beats Safiullin

The 7th seed outlasted Safiullin to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals and break Federer's record for men's singles match wins at the All England Club.

“Survive to thrive” says Djokovic moves past Federer on Wimbledon wins list...

Novak Djokovic extended his Wimbledon story on Sunday, outlasting Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin 7-6(6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to claim a record 106th win at the All England Club and advance to the quarter-finals.

  

With the win, Djokovic surpassed retired rival Roger Federer for the most men's singles victories in Wimbledon history.

No man has won more matches at Wimbledon, ever.

Novak Djokovic overtakes Roger Federer's record to secure a historic 106th gentlemen’s singles win at The Championships 👑 pic.twitter.com/sJ6Ee5nt7u

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 5, 2026

The No. 7 seed now has another milestone to chase as he aims to match Federer's record of eight Wimbledon titles.

Chasing a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title, the 39-year-old Djokovic has built momentum on the grass in southwest London and enters the quarter-finals once again proving he can escape tough situations.

“Another hard-fought win,” Djokovic ‌said. “Roman started very well and very aggressively. I didn't ⁠feel as comfortable from back on ‌the court.

“I knew it was going to be a challenge, staying in the rally with him, particularly from the end where you played against the wind pretty much the whole match. He's just a very solid player, and I respect him a lot.”

It was anything but easy for the seventh seed under the scorching sun on Centre Court. He dropped serve twice with uncharacteristic errors and had to save two set points from 2-5 down before taking the first set in a tense tiebreak.

World No. 132 Safiullin, back from a hip injury and chasing a big upset, kept pushing Djokovic. But a backhand into the net left him trailing 2-4 in the second set.

After seizing control, Djokovic used sharp serve-and-volley play to go up 2-0. But Safiullin fought back, breaking serve and taking the third set to keep his run alive.

“I haven't felt inferior from back of the court with too many players, to be honest, throughout my career. Today, it was one of those days where I didn't want to stay in the rally for too long,” Djokovic added.

“I had to mix things up, and it worked in some moments and didn't in ‌some. But in the end, I found the accuracy really and precision with the first serve. That really got me out of trouble in the fourth ‌set.”

After edging a close opening game in the fourth, Djokovic raised his game to close it out and book a quarter-final against either No. 3 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime or Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

“Survive to thrive,” Djokovic said, looking back on a first week where he dropped sets in three of four matches. “That's where I'm at. Hopefully the thriving starts now.”