Novak Djokovic breaks Roger Federer's Wimbledon record, reaches quarter-finals
Novak Djokovic battled past Roman Safiullin to reach the Wimbledon 2026 quarter-finals, registering a record 106th men's singles win at SW19 to surpass Roger Federer. Jessica Pegula and Karolina Muchova also advanced to the last eight.
by Sabyasachi Chowdhury · India TodayIn Short
- Novak Djokovic defeated Roman Safiullin to reach the quarter-finals
- Djokovic surpassed Federer with a record 106th Wimbledon win
- Jessica Pegula and Karolina Muchova also advanced to the quarters
Novak Djokovic moved a step closer to a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title after overcoming a spirited challenge from Roman Safiullin 7-6(6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to book his place in the quarterfinals on Sunday, July 5.
The seven-time champion was made to work hard by the Russian, who matched the Serbian for long periods with fearless shot-making and relentless baseline aggression. Djokovic edged a tense opening-set tie-break before taking control of the second set, but Safiullin refused to back down, claiming the third to force the 39-year-old into another stern test on Centre Court.
Drawing on his vast experience, Djokovic steadied himself in the fourth set, tightening his serve and reducing the unforced errors that had crept into his game. He secured the decisive break before serving out the match to register his 106th Wimbledon singles victory, moving past Roger Federer (105) for the most men's singles match wins at the All England Club in the Open Era.
After the match, Djokovic said, "Another hard-fought win. Roman started very well. Roman started very well, very aggressively. I didn’t feel so comfortable from the back of the court. I knew it was going to be a challenge staying in the rallies with him. He’s a very solid player He should be proud of the performance today."
In the quarterfinals, Djokovic will face the winner of the match between Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Pegula, Muchova also book last-eight spots
In the women's draw, fourth seed Jessica Pegula recovered from a slow start to defeat fellow American Iva Jovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 and reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
After dropping the opening set against the 18-year-old, Pegula raised her level considerably, reducing her error count and dominating the final two sets to advance to the last eight. She will face the winner of the Round of 16 clash between Belinda Bencic and Coco Gauff.
Karolina Muchova also progressed after ending 2024 champion Barbora Krejcikova's title defence with a hard-fought 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 victory in an all-Czech encounter.
Muchova showed her trademark variety and composure in the deciding set to seal a deserved win and reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals. She will next take on the winner of the blockbuster Round of 16 match between world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and former Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.
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