LONDON: Late in the opening set of his Wimbledon third round match, Novak Djokovicslightly off balance, he darted to his right to meet a volley, positioning himself perfectly for a winner. Seconds later, the supple 39-year-old was back on his feet, taking a bow on Center Court before turning to the crowd and asking for more love. In the stands, his son Stefan jumped into a lively celebration, completing what is increasingly becoming the Djokovic show.More than three hours later, after 225 points and 41 tennis matches, Djokovic took another bow. This time, he and his opponent Arthur Rinderknech were left lying on the grass after the Serb flashed a winner past the French giant to seal victory. Djokovic was first back on his feet, walking around the net to hug and applaud Rinderknech, nine years his junior, whose fearless performance had pushed the 24-times major champion further than he would have liked.Djokovic, who went into his GOAT blazer looking every inch the seven-time Wimbledon champion, switched gears at the right moment to earn a 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4) victory over the 30-year-old Frenchman and book his place in the fourth round of the world, where Saullin will face the world qualifier.“A little bit of luck, a little bit of skill, in the end,” Djokovic said when asked how he made it work. “It was almost a flawless tie-break from my side. I did everything I could. I thought I served very well, just in the tie-break. For most of the match, I struggled with that serve.”“But it was also because of his quality. He is very tall, he hit some incredible serves. It was a really tiring match, very close. Sometimes you just have to find a way to win, and I’m happy that I did that today.”Friday’s win, which featured 107 winners — 67 of them from Rinderknech — saw Djokovic level with Roger FedererThe record of 105 wins in singles matches in the men’s draw at Wimbledon. The pair trail only Martina Navratilova, who holds the all-time record with 120 victories on grass.At this stage of his career, Djokovic prefers to conserve energy. The seven-time champion said he hopes his body continues to cooperate as the tournament progresses.“I think I did everything I needed to do today, in 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 something new and unpredictable for me. I hope that I will be at my best in a few days.”
Fonseca, Jodar bows
It was not the best of days for the two 19-year-olds left in the men’s draw. Rafael Jodar and Joao Fonseca, seeded 23 and 24 respectively, were both overtaken by qualifiers Shintaro Mochizuki and Safiullin.Fonseca, slow in movement and in the shots of the day, looked like someone forced to function without his morning coffee as he bowed out 3-6, 3-6, 3-6 to the comeback Safiullin.Safiullin, who was ranked as high as No. 36 and reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2023, he had to end his 2025 season in September after injuring his knee. He came to this year’s championships without a win at the tour level in 2026. But after fighting for qualification, the Russian achieved three strong victories, over Andrey Rublev, Botic van de Zandschulp and now Fonseca, to book his place in the round of 16.Jodar, meanwhile, fell 6-1, 6-7(5), 4-6, 4-6 to world number 151 Shintaro Mochizuki.