Novak Djokovic claimed the all-time record for most men’s singles match wins at Wimbledon, but had to overcome moments of visible frustration to beat qualifier Roman Safiullin and reach the quarter-finals.
Djokovic had matched Roger Federer’s record with his third-round victory on Friday, and the 39-year-old earned his 106th win at SW19 by defeating the 132nd-ranked Safiullin 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 3-6 6-3 on Sunday.
That is second only to the 120 wins achieved by nine-time women’s champion Martina Navratilova.
The Serb beat Safiullin despite an apparent issue with his eyes early in the contest, while he later received a warning for an audible obscenity and was fortunate to avoid a penalty after firing a ball to the back of the opposite side of the court when he lost serve in the third set.
“Survive to thrive – that’s how I feel,” Djokovic said, reflecting on his performances in the first week.
“Hopefully the thriving part is coming!”
Acknowledging his behaviour during the match, he added: “I’m known for my outbursts and meltdowns, I had a few of those today so I apologise.
“Our mind wanders all the time. It is very hard to keep it in the present moment. Whoever manages to do that is the winner.”
Djokovic remains on course for a tantalising semi-final showdown with world number one Jannik Sinner, whose title defence continued to gather momentum as he outclassed qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki.
Sinner, a four-time major winner, claimed his third consecutive straight-set victory since surviving a huge scare in his opening five-set win against Miomir Kecmanovic.
The 6-3 7-6 (7-0) 6-3 victory sent Sinner into his fifth consecutive Wimbledon quarter-final, where the Italian will face Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff.
