---
title: "Djokovic Ties Federer's Wimbledon Record With a Gritty Comeback Win"
description: "Novak Djokovic dropped a lopsided third set but recovered to beat France's Arthur Rinderknech in four on Friday, reaching the Wimbledon fourth round and, with his 105th singles-match win at the tournament, tying Roger Federer's record for the most by a man at the All England Club."
category: "Sports"
category_url: https://herald.la/category/sports
author: "Omar Haddad"
published: 2026-07-03T17:38:27.000Z
updated: 2026-07-03T17:38:27.000Z
canonical: https://herald.la/article/djokovic-ties-federer-s-wimbledon-record-with-a-gritty-comeback-win
tags: ["tennis", "Wimbledon", "Novak Djokovic", "Roger Federer", "records"]
---
# Djokovic Ties Federer's Wimbledon Record With a Gritty Comeback Win

Novak Djokovic dropped a lopsided third set but recovered to beat France's Arthur Rinderknech in four on Friday, reaching the Wimbledon fourth round and, with his 105th singles-match win at the tournament, tying Roger Federer's record for the most by a man at the All England Club.

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](https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovic-rinderknech-wimbledon-2026-friday). 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](https://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/story/_/id/49256710/wimbledon-2026-today-tennis-blog-03-07-2026-live-updates-news-schedule-results-novak-djokovic-jannik-sinner-aryna-sabalenka).

## 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.

## Sources

- [Novak Djokovic equals Roger Federer record at Wimbledon with resilient R3 win vs. Arthur Rinderknech](https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovic-rinderknech-wimbledon-2026-friday)
- [Wimbledon 2026 today: live updates and results](https://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/story/_/id/49256710/wimbledon-2026-today-tennis-blog-03-07-2026-live-updates-news-schedule-results-novak-djokovic-jannik-sinner-aryna-sabalenka)