London, 04 July (H.S.):

Seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic achieved another historic milestone at Wimbledon 2026 by equalling Roger Federer's record of 105 match victories at the All England Club. The Serbian star advanced to the fourth round on Friday after defeating France's Arthur Rinderknech 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-4).

The 39-year-old moved a step closer to matching Federer's record of eight men's singles Wimbledon titles with another composed performance on Centre Court.

Djokovic claimed the opening two sets with clinical precision before Rinderknech mounted a spirited comeback in the third set, overpowering the Serbian 6-1 to keep the contest alive.

The Frenchman continued to trouble Djokovic in the fourth set with his powerful serve and aggressive baseline play. However, the experienced Serbian held his nerve in the tie-break, producing an error-free display to seal victory and book his place in the last 16.

The win marked Djokovic's 105th career singles victory at Wimbledon, drawing him level with Federer on the tournament's all-time men's singles wins list.

Djokovic will next face Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin in the fourth round. A victory in that match would see him surpass Federer to become the second-most successful player in Wimbledon history in terms of match wins.

The overall record remains with Martina Navratilova, who holds the all-time Wimbledon record with 120 match victories.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar