Djokovic Passes Federer on Wimbledon Win List, Marches into Quarters

Time marches on at Wimbledon, even as the old traditions loom large. A new era of tennis, a new cast of characters, all toiling among the relics of the past.

Sure as the ivy climbs the walls of Centre Court, the 104-year-old nerve center of the Championships, Novak Djokovic patrols the baseline, his white ballcap shielding him from the sun, his eternal summer still burning brightly at age 39.

We make a habit of saying that the seven-time Wimbledon champion makes history every time he takes the court at a major, and Sunday afternoon was no exception. Djokovic passed Roger Federer atop the all-time Wimbledon men’s singles wins list with his 106th victory, while extending his all-time Grand Slam record to 408 match wins with a 7-6(6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin.

It marks a 17th Wimbledon quarterfinal for Djokovic and the 66th Grand Slam quarterfinal of his career. He will face either Felix Auger-Aliassime or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina as he continues his pursuit of a record 25th major title.

The Grand Slam maven first had to erase an early deficit. Trailing 5-2 in the opening set, he saved two set points while serving at 2-5 before roaring back to convert his third set point.

“Roman started very well, very aggressive,” Djokovic said. “I didn’t feel maybe so comfortable from the back of the court and I knew it was going to be a challenge staying in the rally with him.

“I respect him a lot. I played him on different surfaces — never on grass — and he has had some great wins this week… He should be proud of the performance he had today.”

The match wasn’t without further complications. When Safiullin broke for 4-2 in the third, a frustrated Djokovic launched a ball deep into the back of the court. No warning came. No reprieve, either, at least not in the third set.

“The outbursts, you know, the meltdowns… I had a few of those today as well. I apologize,” Djokovic told the crowd during his on-court interview.

The ageless wonder steadied both his emotions and the ship in the fourth. After saving a break point in the opening game, he broke at love in the next and never looked back.

Safiullin, a former Wimbledon quarterfinalist who earned an emotional third-round victory over Joao Fonseca before breaking down in tears during his on-court interview, couldn’t find a way back. Djokovic landed 83 percent of his first serves in the fourth set and won eight of 10 points behind his second serve.

“I don’t get to feel inferior from the back of the court with too many players, to be honest, throughout my career,” he said. “Today was one of those days where I didn’t want to stay in the rally for too long. I had to mix things up. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, but in the end I found the accuracy and precision on my first serve that really got me out of trouble in the fourth.”