For two sets on Friday, it looked routine. Then it got hard — which, at 39, is the story of Novak Djokovic's Wimbledon.
The match
Djokovic beat Arthur Rinderknech of France 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4) in the third round on Centre Court, the ATP Tour reported. He took the first two sets in control, then was blown off the court in a 6-1 third as Rinderknech found his range. The seven-time champion steadied himself in the fourth and closed it out in a tiebreak to reach the fourth round, according to ESPN.
The record
The win was Djokovic's 105th in singles at Wimbledon, tying Roger Federer for the most match wins by a man in the tournament's history. It is a milestone that captures the two poles of Djokovic's late career: the sheer accumulation of a player who keeps showing up and winning at a major he has already won seven times, and the grind it now takes to add to the total.
Djokovic, who owns a record 24 Grand Slam singles titles, has made clear his remaining ambitions are measured in majors and milestones like this one. Federer, the record he just matched, retired in 2022; that Djokovic is still adding to the same list four years later is its own kind of statement.
What's next
Djokovic advances to the fourth round, where a win would give him the men's Wimbledon match-win record outright. He has not dropped the pursuit of an elusive milestone that has shadowed him for two seasons — a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title — and each round here keeps it in view. On Friday, though, the takeaway was narrower and familiar: handed a bad set, he found a way through anyway.
