Novak Djokovic continued to make Wimbledon history as he advanced to the fourth round with a four-set victory over French 25th seed Arthur Rinderknech on Saturday. The seven-time champion won 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-4) on Centre Court, equaling Roger Federer’s record for the most men’s singles match wins at Wimbledon. With this win, Djokovic also tied Federer for the most appearances in the tournament's last 16 of the men’s singles in the Open era, reaching the fourth round for the 18th time. The only player with more singles match wins at Wimbledon is Martina Navratilova, with 120.
Djokovic, who is 39 years old, is one of only four men in the Open era to reach the last 16 at Wimbledon at this age or older, alongside Federer, Pancho Gonzales, and Ken Rosewall. He is now preparing to face Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin for a place in his 66th grand slam quarter-final and 17th at Wimbledon. Safiullin reached this stage after defeating Brazilian Joao Fonseca in straight sets.
Djokovic arrived at Wimbledon aiming for a record 25th grand slam singles title, which would surpass Margaret Court’s tally and draw him level with Federer’s eight Wimbledon championships. A victory at the All England Club would also make Djokovic the oldest man to claim a grand slam trophy in the Open era.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner also advanced to the fourth round with a commanding 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win over American Jenson Brooksby on Court One. Sinner, 24, maintained his unbeaten record in grand slam matches against players ranked as low as Brooksby, currently world No.81. This marks Sinner’s fifth appearance in the last 16 at Wimbledon, tying Nicola Pietrangeli’s record for the most men’s singles fourth-round appearances by an Italian.
In the next round, Sinner will face Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki, who caused a surprise by defeating Spanish prodigy Rafael Jodar in the third round. Last year, Sinner captured the Wimbledon title by defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final, ending Alcaraz’s two-year reign as champion. Sinner acknowledged his ongoing efforts to improve his game, stating, “I’m trying to improve every day. A small step forward today. Trying to get better if I want to go far in this tournament.”
Other notable results include Canadian third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime advancing with a straight-sets win over Michael Zheng, setting up a last-16 meeting with Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Meanwhile, eighth seed Daniil Medvedev was upset in straight sets by world No.74 Jan-Lennard Struff, marking a significant early exit for the Russian player.