Novak Djokovic advanced to the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the 17th time in his career, defeating Roman Safiullin in a four-set battle on Centre Court.
The 39-year-old Serb secured his 106th singles win at the tournament with a 7-6 (6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory.
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The match lasted nearly three and a half hours under warm conditions. Safiullin, ranked 132nd in the world, played well above his ranking, pushing Djokovic to his limits.
Djokovic acknowledged the difficulty of the contest. "Another hard-fought win," he said.
"Roman started very well. He was very aggressive.
I didn't maybe feel as comfortable from the back of the court."
The Russian earned two set points at 5-2 in the opening set but lost the tiebreak.
He then claimed the third set before Djokovic raised his level in the fourth.
Djokovic admitted he had to adjust his game.
"I don't get to feel inferior from the back of the court against too many players throughout my career," he said.
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"Today was one of those days where I didn't want to stay in the rallies too long."
He credited his first serve for getting him out of trouble in the fourth set. "Survive to thrive, that's how I feel," Djokovic said.
"Hopefully the thriving part is coming."
Djokovic also apologized for his on-court outbursts. "I had a few of those today as well, I apologise," he said.
One notable moment came early in the third set when Safiullin broke Djokovic's serve with a powerful forehand.
Djokovic responded by swatting the ball into the back fence.
In the final set, Djokovic changed tactics by moving forward to end points quickly.
He won four of five serve-and-volley points and nine of 13 net approaches, building a quick 3-0 lead to seal the match.
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Djokovic will face either Felix Auger-Aliassime or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the quarterfinals.
