LONDON: Late in his opening set Wimbledon third round match, Novak Djokoviclosing his balance a little, he lunged to his right and hit a volley, hitting it perfectly for the winner. Seconds later, the lithe 39-year-old was back on his feet, taking a bow at center court before turning to the crowd and asking for more love. In the stands, his son Stefan jumps in lively celebration, completing what is increasingly becoming Djokovic’s show.More than three hours later, after 225 points and 41 games of exciting tennis, Djokovic took another bow. This time, both he and his opponent Arthur Rinderknech were sprawled on the grass after the Serbian pushed the winner past the hulking Frenchman to seal victory. Djokovic was first on his feet, striding across the net to hug and greet Rinderknech, nine years his junior, whose fearless performance pushed the 24-time major champion further than he would have liked.Djokovic, who emerged in his GOAT jacket looking every inch the seven-time Wimbledon champion, switched gears at the right moments to claim a 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) victory over the 30-year-old Frenchman to book his place in the fourth round, where he will face world number 132 and qualifier Romano Safiullin.“A little luck, a little skill, in the end,” Djokovic said when asked how he did the job. “It was a pretty flawless tie-break from me. 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 some amazing serves. It was a really hard, really close match. Sometimes you just have to find a way to win, and I’m happy I did that today.”Friday’s victory, which featured 107 winners — 67 of them from Rinderknech — moved Djokovic into a tie with Roger FedererA record of 105 singles wins in the Wimbledon men’s draw. The pair trails only Martina Navratilova, who holds the all-time record with 120 grass-court majors.At this stage of his career, Djokovic prefers to conserve energy. The seven-time champion said he hoped his body would continue to cooperate as the tournament progressed.“I think I did everything I needed to do today, under circumstances that maybe weren’t 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 me something new and unpredictable. I hope to be at my best in a few days.”
Fonseca, Jodar bowed
It was not the best of days for the two 19-year-olds who remained in the men’s draw. Rafael Jodar and Joao Fonseca, seeded 23rd and 24th respectively, were both outplayed by qualifiers Shintaro Mochizuki and Safiullin.Fonseca, sluggish in both movement and shooting that day, looked like someone forced to function without morning coffee as he slumped 3-6, 3-6, 3-6 to the returning Safiullin.Safiullin, who was ranked as high as 36th and reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2023, had to end the 2025 season in September after a knee injury. He arrived at this year’s championship without a win at tour level in 2026. But after struggling through qualifying, the Russian has produced three strong wins, over Andrey Rublev, Botica van de Zandschulp and now Fonseca, to secure his place in the last 16.Meanwhile, Jodar lost 6-1, 6-7 (5), 4-6, 4-6 to Shintaro Mochizuki, the 151st tennis player in the world.
