Djokovic topped Federer’s record for the most men’s singles match wins at Wimbledon when he beat Roman Safiullin on Centre Court before Osaka’s blockbuster showdown with Sabalenka.
Seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic beat Safiullin in four sets to take his 106th match victory at the All England Club.
But it was not plain sailing for the great Serb who was troubled by Safiullin, a qualifier ranked 132nd in the world, before claiming a 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 3-6 6-3 win.
Djokovic started brightly enough with a break but Safiullin broke back and dragged Djokovic into a tie-breaker, which the Serb won.
He kept his composure to chalk up the second set but Djokovic’s frustrations became more apparent. He repeatedly held his hands up to the sky and when Safiullin slammed a ball past him to break in the third set, Djokovic even smashed a ball into the back of the court.
That earned a round of boos at Centre Court but there were plenty of cheers for at times brilliant rallies between the pair. Djokovic had to vary his approach to win, rushing to the net to land expert volleys.
He broke in the fourth set and controlled the action from there, finishing with a fantastic serve and volley to progress to the quarter-finals.
He acknowledged his “outbursts” afterwards. “I apologise,” Djokovic said.
He added: “Today it was one of those days where I didn’t want to stay in the rally for too long. So I had to mix things up.
“Survive to thrive. That’s how I feel. So hopefully the thriving part is coming.”
