07/05/26 11:51:00
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07/05 11:50 CDT Djokovic breaks Federer's Wimbledon record with 106th match win
to reach quarterfinals
Djokovic breaks Federer's Wimbledon record with 106th match win to reach
quarterfinals
By MATTIAS KARN
Associated Press
LONDON (AP) --- Novak Djokovic screamed out his frustrations at times before
overcoming a surprisingly tough challenge from 132nd-ranked qualifier Roman
Safiullin on Sunday to break one of Roger Federer's Wimbledon records.
Djokovic had to save two set points when trailing 5-2 in the first set and was
warned for apparently screaming out an obscenity in Serbian on Centre Court
when he was broken early in the third. But the seven-time Wimbledon champion
went on to win 7-6 (6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 for his 106th match victory at the All
England Club.
That puts him one ahead of Federer atop the all-time list for men, although he
still trails Martina Navratilova's 120 match wins.
It also puts him into the quarterfinals for the 17th time --- one behind
Federer's record --- and three matches away from joining his former rival on
eight Wimbledon titles. But the Serb acknowledged that he will have to raise
his game in order to get there.
"Survive to thrive, that's how I feel," Djokovic said when asked to sum up his
first week of the championships. "So hopefully the thriving part is coming."
The 39-year-old Djokovic has never lost a Grand Slam match against a player
ranked as low as Safiullin, or to a qualifier, but looked in danger at times on
Centre Court.
Djokovic seemed to struggle with the sunny and windy conditions in the first
set before rallying from 5-2 to force a tiebreaker, where he converted his
third set point. In the third, he got the warning from the umpire after going
2-0 down and then drew boos from the crowd when he hit the ball away in
frustration after losing the set.
In his on-court interview, he apologized for what he called "the outbursts, the
meltdowns."
"I had a few of those today," he said.
Djokovic, who is renowned for his ability to chase down almost every shot, also
acknowledged that he opted to play more at the net than usual after repeatedly
being outplayed in long rallies by Safiullin.
"I don't get to feel inferior from the back of court with too many players, to
be honest, throughout my career," Djokovic said. "Today it was one of those
days where I didn't want to stay in the rally for too long. So I had to mix
things up. And it worked."
He quickly seized control in the fourth set by jumping out to a 3-0 lead, and
then served out the match at love.
Djokovic will next play the winner between third-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime
and No. 22 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Krejcikova loses to ensure new women's champion
There will be a new women's champion at Wimbledon for the ninth straight time
after Barbora Krejcikova lost to fellow Czech player Karolina Muchova in the
fourth round.
Krejcikova, the 2024 winner, was the only former champion left in the women's
draw after Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Serena Williams all went out earlier.
Krejcikova followed suit with a 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 loss on No. 2 Court.
No woman has won multiple Wimbledon titles since Williams won her seventh in
2016.
Muchova will play the winner between top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and 14th-seeded
Naomi Osaka, who played later on Centre Court.
No. 4 Jessica Pegula also advanced by beating fellow American Iva Jovic 4-6,
6-3, 6-1.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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