By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Photo Credit: AELTC.
Novak Djokovic reached his 17th Wimbledon quarter-final and his 66th Grand Slam quarter-final in all with a 7-6 (6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win over Roman Safiullin.
Djokovic now leads Roger Federer with the most men’s singles wins at The Championships with 106; only Martina Navratilova has recorded more in the all-time list.
Djokovic, who will be 39 years, 51 days old at the conclusion of the tournament, is the third-oldest man to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals, after Federer in 2021 (39 years, 337 days) and Ken Rosewall in 1974 (39 years, 246 days).
Things were not straightforward for the 24-time grand slam champion, though, as Safiullin – who had eliminated Andrey Rublev, Botic van de Zandschulp and Joao Fonseca to reach the last 16 – initially took control of the opening set.
Safiullin’s confidence was clear as he produced one exceptional drop shot to edge a drawn-out rally in game eight, but the Russian squandered two set points, and that was a big turning point in the match.
Djokovic reeled off three straight games as Safiullin appeared to become more passive, dropping back deeper and being caught out by some lovely slices from the Serbian.
The first-set tie-break was tight, but Djokovic converted his third set point, after Safiullin missed the mark with an ill-advised drop shot at 6-6.
The second set was more straightforward for Djokovic, who only gave up five points on his own serve and broke in a marathon sixth game to put himself on the brink.
But Safiullin was determined to fight on, even after receiving medical assistance for an apparent hip injury. He gave up an early break advantage in the third, but another break went his way in a thrilling sixth game, following five saved break points.
“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.”
He will face either world number four Felix Auger Aliassime or 22nd seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the last eight as he bids to equal Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon men’s singles titles.
Meanwhile fourth seed Jessica Pegula’s greater experience proved telling as she beat rising fellow American Iva Jovic 4-6 6-3 6-1 to equal her best Wimbledon run by reaching the quarter-finals for the second time on Sunday.
Elsewhere tenth seed Karolina Muchova snuffed out the Wimbledon hopes of friend and 2024 champion Barbora Krejcikova on Sunday, winning 7-5 5-7 6-3 in a tight battle for Czech supremacy and a place in the quarter-finals.