Novak Djokovic drew level with Roger Federer on 105 men’s singles victories at Wimbledon, defeating France’s Arthur Rinderknech 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4) on Centre Court to reach the fourth round. The seven-time champion, who at 39 is the oldest man in the Open Era to appear in the last 16 at the All England Club, also equalled Federer’s mark of 18 appearances at that stage. Only Martina Navratilova, with 120 singles wins, has amassed more at the tournament.

The victory was far from straightforward. Rinderknech, the 25th seed, struck 35 winners across the opening two sets and capitalised on a sudden dip from Djokovic to race through the third 6-1 in just 18 minutes. The Serb, who had looked imperious in dismissing Stefanos Tsitsipas in the previous round, appeared unsettled and repeatedly tapped his left thigh. Yet in the fourth-set tie-break, his experience told. He delivered two aces and a backhand volley winner, later describing his performance in the breaker as “near flawless”. Afterwards, Djokovic joked: “I propose a match-up between Roger and me for 106 — let’s stop it here and call Roger to come!”

Elsewhere, defending champion Jannik Sinner continued to find his rhythm on grass, dispatching Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. The Italian world number one, who could meet Djokovic in the semi-finals, described the performance as “a small step forward” and will next face Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki, a surprise winner over Spain’s Rafael Jodar. In the women’s draw, top seed Aryna Sabalenka overpowered Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-4 to set up a fourth-round meeting with Naomi Osaka, who reached the last 16 at Wimbledon for the first time by thrashing Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-3. Osaka, a four-time major champion, had never previously won a match on Centre Court.

The day also produced notable upsets. Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff eliminated eighth seed Daniil Medvedev in straight sets, while Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin — Djokovic’s next opponent — ousted Brazilian prospect Joao Fonseca 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. Djokovic holds a 3-0 head-to-head record against Safiullin without dropping a set, though the pair have never met on grass. For the Serb, a record 25th Grand Slam singles title and an eighth Wimbledon crown remain the ultimate targets, but the immediate focus is a place in the quarter-finals.