Novak Djokovic broke Roger Federer's Open-Era record for men's singles victories at Wimbledon as he beat Roman Safiullin in four sets to reach the quarter-finals.  

Djokovic's win on Centre Court – which came by a 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 3-6 6-3 scoreline – was his 106th at SW19, passing Federer's tally of 105 outright. In the men's and women's draws, only Martina Navratilova has more, with 120.

Things were not initially straightforward for the 24-time grand slam champion, though, as Safiullin – who had eliminated Andrey Rublev, Botic van de Zandschulp and Joao Fonseca to reach the last 16 – initially took control of the opening set.

The first two games of the contest both resulted in breaks, and after being broken to love to go 5-2 down, Djokovic was serving to stay in the opener.

Safiullin's confidence was clear as he produced one exceptional drop shot to edge a drawn-out rally in game eight, but the Russian squandered two set points, and that was a big turning point in the match.

Djokovic reeled off three straight games as Safiullin appeared to become more passive, dropping back deeper and being caught out by some lovely slices from the Serbian.

The first-set tie-break was tight, but Djokovic converted his third set point, after Safiullin missed the mark with an ill-advised drop shot at 6-6.

The second set was more straightforward for Djokovic, who only gave up five points on his own serve and broke in a marathon sixth game to put himself on the brink.

But Safiullin was determined to fight on, even after receiving medical assistance for an apparent hip injury. He gave up an early break advantage in the third, but another break went his way in a thrilling sixth game, following five saved break points.  

Djokovic's frustration was evident at that point, as he appeared to blame both the sun in his eyes and a slight breeze after lost rallies, while he was also booed by the crowd after smashing a spare ball at the opposite side of the court.

The 39-year-old could have lost his head when facing break point in the opening game of the fourth set, but Safiullin fired wide and that proved to be his final chance to pull ahead.

Djokovic then immediately broke to love as Safiullin's shot selection became more questionable, and despite more moments of frustration, his serve-and-volley game brought him two more routine holds – his first match point being converted with an exquisite flick at the net.

Djokovic makes more history

Djokovic now holds the Open-Era men's singles winning mark at the All England Club, but in truth, it is another record of Federer's that he desires most – his tournament-record eight titles at Wimbledon. 

If Djokovic can match Federer, he will, of course, become the only player in the history of men's or women's tennis to win 25 grand slam singles titles.

He will face Felix Auger-Aliassime or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina next in his quest for glory on the grass, having reached an astonishing 66th grand slam quarter-final in just 83 participations at the majors.

At Wimbledon specifically, he has made the quarters, as a minimum, at eight consecutive editions dating back to a third-round exit in 2016 (not held in 2020 due to Covid-19). 

This will be his 17th quarter-final at Wimbledon, with only Federer (18) reaching more in the men's singles during the Open Era. Djokovic's round-of-16 record at SW19 is now 17-1, with his sole defeat at this stage coming on his debut in 2006, against Mario Ancic.