It was far from the easiest task in the world, but Novak Djokovic is once again into the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
He did so by surviving a later surge from Roman Safiullin to close out the match in four sets, having lost the third in acrimonious circumstances.
There was doubt over the legitimacy of the Russian’s medical time-out midway through the set, having gone on to break the Serbian straight after.
Alas, such perceived injustice was unlikely to keep the 24-time Grand Slam champion down for long, who broke straight away to start the fourth before his supreme serving carried him to victory.
Speaking on court, Novak Djokovic began by discussing his opponent, before talking about his own ever-changing style to counteract so many different players.
Novak Djokovic praises Roman Safiullin for really difficult match
First asked about his opponent, the Serbian had nothing but praise for Safiullin.
He began by claiming: “Yeah, another hard-fought match.
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“Roman started very aggressive, you know, I didn’t feel maybe so comfortable from the back of the court. I knew it was going to be a challenge staying in the rally with him, particularly from that end, you know, where you played against the wind pretty much the whole match, so, just very solid player, you know, I respect him a lot.
“I have played him on different surfaces, never on grass, though, and he has had some great wins this week. Wishing him good luck for the rest of the season. He should be proud of the performance here today.”
Then, discussing his own play style and the increased use of serve and volley, Djokovic explained why: “Yeah, I mean, I don’t get to feel inferior from back of the court with too many players, to be honest throughout my career. Today, it was one of those days where I didn’t want to stay in the rally for too long, to be honest. So, I had to mix things up, and, uh, it worked.
“Some moments, it worked, some, it didn’t, but in the end, I found, I think, the accuracy and precision with the first serve, it really got me out of trouble in the fourth.”
He finished with a classic quotable motto when asked how he was feeling. Djokovic simply replied: “Survive to thrive. That’s how I feel. So hopefully the thriving part is coming.”
Novak Djokovic reaches an incredible 17th Wimbledon quarter-final
In beating Safiullin, Djokovic is into yet another Wimbledon quarter-final.
For decades now, this has been his tournament, having dominated Centre Court in a manner unlike anyone had ever seen before. His seven titles remain an all-time record, tied with the greats Roger Federer and Martina Navratilova.
However, his age has naturally made it tougher to truly challenge for the title, despite reaching back-to-back finals in the years before last year’s semi-final exit.
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Something feels different this year though, particularly after his run to the Australian Open final back in January. At his best, he can compete and topple the world’s very best. He proved that against Jannik Sinner.
It’s a testament to Djokovic’s incredible longevity and never-ending quality that you have to go back to 2008 to find the last time he failed to make a Wimbledon quarter-final.
These statistics will pale in comparison to if he were to finally win that 25th major title.
