London: Witnessing his opponent, Arthur Rinderknech, tumble toward the Centre Court net following a volley, Novak Djokovic silently urged, “please stay down.” The Frenchman complied, allowing the 39-year-old Djokovic to execute a diving backhand volley winner on match point, sealing a 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) triumph on Friday.

With this hard-fought victory in the third round at Wimbledon, Djokovic secures his 105th match win at the All England Club, matching Roger Federer’s historic men's record for the most singles match victories. Martina Navratilova maintains the overall record with 120 singles wins at the tournament. While Djokovic aims to equal Federer’s men's record of eight singles titles by the conclusion of next weekend, Friday's milestone serves as a monumental achievement in its own right.

“Today, I was quite stressed out, more tension than usual,” Djokovic admitted during his post-match on-court interview. “I knew it was going to be a very challenging match for me.”

The 24-time Grand Slam champion navigated a brief lapse in performance—surrendering the third set in a mere 18 minutes—but regained his composure during the fourth-set tiebreaker. He delivered consecutive aces before a wide forehand from Rinderknech brought about the final match point.

Reflecting on the final sequence, Djokovic, who had previously displayed his frustration by repeatedly striking his left thigh after dropping the third set, remarked, “I saw him slip and kind of fall down. And I was just like please stay down' for that last shot.”

Reflecting on his shared milestone with Federer, Djokovic noted that achieving 105 singles match wins is “a huge honour and privilege,” jokingly adding, “I propose a matchup for me and Roger for 106.” Up next, Djokovic is scheduled to compete against Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin in the fourth round.

Meanwhile, on No. 1 Court on Thursday, reigning champion Jannik Sinner secured his own spot in the fourth round by defeating Jenson Brooksby with a consistent 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 performance.

Safiullin's Emotional Triumph Over Fonseca

Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin was moved to tears following his decisive 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory over the ascending Brazilian talent João Fonseca, earning himself a place in the fourth round.

Currently ranked No. 132, the 28-year-old Safiullin has overcome a debilitating knee injury sustained last year to defeat two seeded competitors at the All England Club this week. His impressive run began with an opening-round upset against 12th-seeded Andrey Rublev, followed by Friday's victory over the 24th-seeded Fonseca.

Safiullin, who previously reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2023, grew visibly emotional as he recounted his arduous path to recovery.

“After the U.S. Open, I had to stop — for treating my injury,” he explained during his on-court interview. “That time was super tough. Even let's say half a year ago, I didn't know if I will be able to be back.”

The Russian athlete paused mid-sentence to wipe away tears with his shirt as the spectators on No. 2 Court offered warm applause. “I'm super happy to be back here,” he concluded.

In women's singles action, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is scheduled to face Jelena Ostapenko later in the day on Centre Court.

AP