Novak Djokovic eclipsed Roger Federer’s benchmark for men’s singles match wins at Wimbledon on Sunday, grinding out a 7-6(6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 defeat of Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin to claim an outright record 106th victory. The number, already etched into All England Club history, sparked banner headlines from Belgrade to São Paulo, underlining the 39-year-old’s extraordinary longevity on the sport’s most fabled lawns.

Safiullin, ranked 132nd and making his maiden fourth-round appearance at a major, ignored the script. His relentless baseline aggression forced 14 break points and drew Djokovic into uncommon errors. After dropping a tight first-set tiebreak, the Russian kept pressing, levelling the match by seizing the third set as Djokovic’s composure frayed. The Serbian was handed an audible obscenity warning and then, in a moment reminiscent of his default at the 2020 US Open, swatted a ball that cannoned off the umpire’s chair. He later conceded his reactions had been “bad”, but a tactical pivot to serve-and-volley — winning 23 of 40 net approaches — restored order in the fourth. “I didn’t feel so comfortable from the back of the court,” Djokovic said. “Roman was very solid.”

The victory extended Djokovic’s Open-era record of 66 Grand Slam quarter-finals; he now has 100-plus wins at three of the four majors. Italian and Indian outlets stressed that only Martina Navratilova’s 120 women’s singles victories stand above him at Wimbledon, while Spanish-language media traced the scale of the achievement for a player still chasing an eighth crown and a 25th major title. Elsewhere, Jessica Pegula and Karolina Muchova progressed in the women’s draw, but the day belonged to the Serbian’s breaking of a mark that had seemed Federer’s alone.

Djokovic’s next opponent will be the winner of the contest between third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Should he clear that hurdle, a potential semi-final with defending champion and world No 1 Jannik Sinner — who led their personal duel 6-5 entering the tournament — would offer the most exacting test yet of his enduring appetite for rewriting the record books.