Djokovic keeps rewriting tennis history as he hunts another Wimbledon milestone

Novak Djokovic is living his own version of Groundhog Day — the happy kind — because every time he steps on a court, he seems to tie or break another record. And at 39 years old, he’s still doing it with astonishing regularity. On Friday at Wimbledon, he caught up to Roger Federer in two major categories:

Only Martina Navratilova sits above them with 120 singles victories at the All England Club.

Djokovic, still chasing his 25th Grand Slam title, beat dangerous Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in a tight, physical battle: 7‑5, 6‑4, 1‑6, 7‑6 (4) in just over three hours. On Sunday, he’ll face Russian Roman Safiullin, who has surged from qualifying all the way to the fourth round after dismantling Brazil’s João Fonseca in straight sets.

The day also delivered a shocker: Daniil Medvedev fell to Germany’s Jan‑Lennard Struff in three razor‑thin sets, ending hopes of a Roland Garros rematch between Djokovic and Fonseca.

Djokovic: “A little luck, a little skill — a little of everything”

Djokovic broke down the win with trademark clarity: “A bit of luck, bit of skill, I think, in the end,” he said afterwards. “Pretty much a flawless tie-break from my side. I did everything I could in controllable situations. I think I’ve served extremely well, pretty much only in the tie-break. For most of the match, I struggled with that serve.

“But it’s also due to his quality,” he added. “He’s very tall. He hits incredible serves. He deserves a round of applause for sure for his performance today, no doubt. So it was a really, really tiring, really close match. Happy to overcome it in the tie-break. Sometimes you just have to find a way to win. And happy that I did that today”.

He joked about the final point, when Rinderknech slipped: “I needed him to stay on the ground for a second…”

Djokovic also noted how much Rinderknech pushed him out of his comfort zone with pace changes, net rushes, and power. And then came the punchline:

“When I get to Navratilova’s 120 wins, someone else will probably be ahead of me.”

After two straight matches played under the closed roof due to fading daylight, Djokovic finally got the outdoor match he’d been asking for — on a sunny London afternoon.

“It’s an honor to make history here”

Djokovic reflected on what Wimbledon means to him: “It’s an honor to make history in this sport, especially here, the tournament I dreamed about as a kid. I don’t think about records — just about winning the match in front of me.”

Then he delivered a playful challenge: “I propose Roger and I play to see who gets win No. 106. Let’s call him and get him out here.”

He also joked about his daughter critiquing his dance moves: “More than tennis, I hope that my dancing improves. Because my daughter, she’s been teaching me but I’m pretty poor I think in terms of judgement of what I’ve done there. She didn’t give me a smile in the end - she’s like, ‘Yeah, we have to practice...’ But hopefully I’ll have many more dances left in this tournament.”

Djokovic remains a titan — relentless, sharp, and still hungry. And as always, he’s dangerous.

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