Novak Djokovic secured a hard-fought 7-6(6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory over qualifier Roman Safiullin to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals, but his on-court behaviour drew criticism. The seven-time champion unleashed a sweary tirade after being broken for 2-0 in the third set, shouting 'bull****' and other Serbian expletives, prompting German umpire Timo Janzen to issue an immediate code violation.
Djokovic's Meltdowns and Crowd Reaction
Djokovic lost his composure again moments later when Safiullin fired a thunderous forehand directly at him from close range to break for 4-2. Djokovic performed evasive 'Matrix' moves to avoid the ball hitting his chest. He then reacted by tossing a loose ball into the air and lashing it away, drawing boos from the Centre Court crowd.
Reflecting on his outbursts, Djokovic said: 'Sometimes it helps to kind of just filter things that are building inside. Not something I'm proud of when I get warning or something like that, I have a meltdown. Not something I'm looking for, for sure. But when it happens, it happens. Just try to eliminate it, not think about it too long, move on to the next point and the next task at hand.'
Missed Chances for Safiullin
Russian star Safiullin, ranked No. 135 in the world, will rue his missed opportunities after converting only four of his 14 break points. Djokovic struggled to find his rhythm, needing 62 minutes to win a topsy-turvy first-set tiebreak that swung both ways. The key difference was Djokovic's class in crucial moments; he delivered two aces when needed most to save two set points in the opener.
The second set was more straightforward, as was the fourth—aside from an incident where Djokovic stared down a fan who shouted while he was preparing a smash at the net.
Djokovic's Honest Assessment
'To be honest, haven't felt really great on the court, so I was just relieved to get out of it and get a win,' Djokovic explained. 'Satisfaction and enjoyment was not part of today's win, to be honest. Of course, I'm relieved and happy to win it but I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully next match will be better in that sense.'
He added: 'No, not physical. Just, I think, the game. Physical was kind of okay. Just game-wise, I didn't enjoy my tennis. It's also due to him putting a lot of pressure on me, playing well. I kind of struggled to find the game, desired level in the game that I'm looking for that I had, I think, in the second round particularly. But a win is a win, even if you win ugly. Hopefully I can build from this.'
Record-Breaking Achievement
Djokovic set a new men's record of 106 singles wins at Wimbledon, surpassing Roger Federer, as he progressed to the 66th Major quarter-final of his career. However, he claims not to be fussed about such honours. 'Not on my priority list, to be honest,' he said. 'I haven't thought about it. Didn't even know about it until after the last match win, so... That's really quite insignificant to me at the moment.'
Martina Navratilova holds the overall singles win record at Wimbledon with 120 victories.
