Novak Djokovic survives Arthur Rinderknech’s test to equal Roger Federer’s Wimbledon record

Novak Djokovic (AP Photo) LONDON: At the end of the opening set of his third-round match at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic was slightly off-balance and darted to his right to meet a volley, perfectly positioning himself for the winner. Seconds later, the lithe 39-year-old was back on his feet, bowing on center court before turning to the crowd and asking for more love. In the stands, his son Stefan jumped up in animated celebration to complete what is increasingly becoming the Djokovic show.More than three hours later, after 225 points and 41 games of thrilling tennis, Djokovic bowed out again. This time both he and his opponent Arthur Rinderknech sprawled on the grass after the Serb slotted a winner past the giant Frenchman to seal victory. Djokovic was the first to his feet, walking past the net to hug and applaud the nine-year-younger Rinderknech, whose fearless performance pushed the 24-time major champion further than he would have liked.Djokovic, who looked every inch the seven-time Wimbledon champion in his KOLÍ blazer, switched gears at the right moment to beat the 30-year-old Frenchman 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) and book a place in the fourth round to face world qualifier Roman Saullin.“A bit of luck, a bit of skill, in the end,” Djokovic answered when asked how he did it. “It was pretty much a flawless tie-break from my side. I did everything I could. I think I served extremely well, just in the tie-break. I struggled with that serve for most of the match.”“But it was also because of his quality. He’s very tall, he hit incredible serves. It was a really tiring, really close match. Sometimes you just have to find a way to win and I’m glad I did that today.”Friday’s victory, which featured 107 winners – 67 of them from Rinderkne – saw Djokovic equal Roger Federer’s record 105 wins in the men’s singles draw at Wimbledon. The pair trails only Martina Navrátilová, who holds the historic mark with 120 victories at the grass major.At this stage in his career, Djokovic prefers to conserve energy. The seven-time champion said he hoped his body would continue to cooperate during the tournament.“I think I did everything I needed to today in circumstances that were maybe not as good for me as in the second round and it was still enough to win,” he said. “At this age and stage of my career, every day brings something new and unpredictable for me. I hope to come out in the best shape in a few days.”

Fonseca, take a fucking bow

It wasn’t the best day for the two 19-year-olds left in the men’s draw. Rafael Jodar and Joao Fonseca, seeded 23rd and 24th respectively, were both beaten by qualifiers Shintaro Mochizuki and Safiullin.Fonseca, who was slow in both movement and shot-making that day, looked like someone forced to function without his morning coffee as he bowed out 3-6, 3-6, 3-6 to return to Safiullin.Safiullin, who was ranked as high as 36th and reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2023, had to cut the 2025 season short in September after injuring his knee. He arrived at this year’s championship in 2026 without a win at tour level. But after struggling through the qualifiers, the Russian has rattled off three strong wins, over Andrey Rublev, Botic van de Zandschulp and now Fonseca, to secure a place in the round of 16.Meanwhile, Jodar lost 6-1, 6-7 (5), 4-6, 4-6 to Shintaro Mochizuki, the world 151.