Novak Djokovic defeated Arthur Rinderknech in the third round of Wimbledon.
The Serb continued his charge towards the title with a 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 win on Centre Court.
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In doing so, he tied Roger Federer’s remarkable Wimbledon record.
Novak Djokovic moves level with Roger Federer on 105 Wimbledon match wins
Djokovic’s win over Rinderknech was his 105th at SW19.
His former rival, Federer, also won 105 Wimbledon main draw matches.
Wimbledon men’s singles match win record
| Rank | Player | Match wins | Years active |
| T-1 | Roger Federer | 105 | 1999-2021 |
| T-1 | Novak Djokovic | 105 | 2005-2026 |
| 3 | Jimmy Connors | 84 | 1972-1992 |
| 4 | Boris Becker | 71 | 1984-1999 |
| 5 | Arthur Gore | 64 | 1888-1922 |
He will move ahead of Federer if he can win his fourth-round match at this year’s Wimbledon Championships.
Standing between Djokovic and the record is the Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin, who stunned Joao Fonseca in the third round.
If Djokovic beats Safiullin, he will have picked up more wins than Federer at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
Australian Open match wins
- Novak Djokovic – 104 (1st all-time)
- Roger Federer – 102 (2nd all-time)
French Open match wins
- Novak Djokovic – 103 (2nd all-time)
- Roger Federer – 73 (3rd all-time)
Wimbledon match wins
- Novak Djokovic – 105 (1st all-time)
- Roger Federer – 105 (1st all-time)
US Open match wins
- Novak Djokovic – 95 (2nd all-time)
- Roger Federer – 89 (3rd all-time)
With every record Djokovic breaks, it becomes harder and harder to make a case for Federer as the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time).
However, there is still one Wimbledon record that Djokovic hasn’t got his hands on.
The Serb sits joint-second in the all-time list on seven Wimbledon men’s singles titles, one behind Federer on eight.
Djokovic has lost two Wimbledon finals since winning his seventh title, but hasn’t matched Federer’s feat.
Match wins are important, but everyone knows titles are what matter most.
If Djokovic were to retire today, he would do so with a weaker Wimbledon legacy than Federer.
That could yet change, though, and he will be determined to win not only a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title this summer, but a record-extending 25th Grand Slam.
The question is, at 39, does he have one last major title in him?
Who will Novak Djokovic need to beat to equal Roger Federer’s Wimbledon title record?
First up is Safiullin, the world number 132.
Djokovic has won all three of his previous meetings with Safiullin in straight sets, and will be confident of extending that record when they play for a spot in the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
There, he could meet Felix Auger-Aliassime, Michael Zheng, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, or Marton Fucsovics.
Djokovic wouldn’t underestimate any of the four names mentioned above, but should fancy his chances of advancing to the semi-finals.
Unfortunately for Djokovic, that’s where things get really tricky.
The chances are that he would play the defending champion, Jannik Sinner in the last four.
Sinner beat Djokovic in last year’s Wimbledon semi-finals without dropping a set.
- 2025 Wimbledon SF – Jannik Sinner defeated Novak Djokovic, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4
The Italian also beat Djokovic at the French Open, Australian Open, and the Shanghai Masters before that.
However, it was Djokovic who emerged victorious when they met in Melbourne earlier this year.
Playing one of the matches of his life, the 10-time Australian Open champion defeated Sinner in an instant classic on Rod Laver Arena.
- 2026 Australian Open SF – Novak Djokovic defeated Jannik Sinner, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
He’ll have to hope he can produce that level once more should they face off with a place in the Wimbledon final up for grabs.
Interestingly enough, while Djokovic would arguably step on court as an underdog for his semi-final against Sinner, he would be the favourite to win the final should he get there.
Alexander Zverev is the top seed in the bottom half of the draw, although Djokovic is arguably more likely to play one of Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, or Matteo Berrettini in the final.
While they are all dangerous players in their own right, if Djokovic plays as well as he has so far this week, he should have no trouble lifting his 25th Grand Slam title.
That’s a long way away, though, and Djokovic won’t want to look any further ahead than his fourth-round match against Safiullin on Sunday, July 5.
