Djokovic breaks another Federer record at Wimbledon despite 'meltdowns' on Centre Court

LONDON (AP) — After all the records Novak Djokovic has broken, the latest one left him rather unimpressed — even though he surpassed his great rival Roger Federer.

Djokovic set a men's record for most match wins at Wimbledon after overcoming a surprisingly tough challenge from 132nd-ranked qualifier Roman Safiullin on Sunday to reach the quarterfinals.

The seven-time Wimbledon champion screamed out his frustrations at times — later referring to the outbursts as “meltdowns” — before winning 7-6 (6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 for his 106th match victory at the All England Club. That puts him one ahead of Federer atop the all-time list for men, although he still trails Martina Navratilova’s 120 match wins.

That's clearly not the record he's after at Wimbledon, though. Not when he's also trying to match Federer's eight titles and become the first man or woman to win 25 major trophies.

“Not on my priority list,” Djokovic said. “Didn’t even know about it until after the last match win ... That’s really quite insignificant to me at the moment.”

The win also put him into the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the 17th time — one behind Federer’s record. But the Serb acknowledged that he will have to raise his game in order to go further.

“Survive to thrive, that’s how I feel,” Djokovic said when asked to sum up his first week of the championships. “So hopefully the thriving part is coming.”

The 39-year-old Djokovic has never lost a Grand Slam match against a player ranked as low as Safiullin, or to a qualifier, but he looked in danger at times on Centre Court.

Djokovic had to save two set points when trailing 5-2 in the first set and was warned for apparently yelling out an obscenity in Serbian on Centre Court when he was broken early in the third. He then drew boos from the crowd when he hit the ball away in frustration after losing that set.

In his on-court interview, he apologized for what he called “the outbursts, the meltdowns.”

“I had a few of those today,” he said.

Djokovic, who is renowned for his mastery of baseline tennis, also said he opted to play more at the net than usual after repeatedly being outplayed in long rallies by Safiullin.

“I don’t get to feel inferior from the back of court with too many players, to be honest, throughout my career,” Djokovic said. “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. And it worked.”

He quickly seized control in the fourth set by jumping out to a 3-0 lead, and then served out the match at love.

Djokovic will next face third-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime, who came through a five-setter against No. 22 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on No. 1 Court that featured one of the best points of the tournament.

Auger-Aliassime won 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-1 in a meeting between the only two men's players who had yet to drop a set in the tournament. Auger-Aliassime had not even lost a service game until he was serving for the match at 5-4 in the fourth set, when his Spanish opponent managed to break back despite hurting his ankle and needing medical treatment.

“I played a few roller-coaster matches over the course of my career, but this is for sure the top of the charts,” the Canadian said. “It was a crazy match.”

One point in particular had the crowd on its feet and even had Auger-Aliassime laughing in disbelief, even though he lost it.

At 3-1 in the fourth set, Davidovich Fokina made it 40-0 after chasing down a drop shot, running back to the baseline to retrieve the next ball by hitting a lob, then returning an overhead from Auger-Aliassime, chasing down a second drop shot and finally diving at full stretch to return a passing shot with a backhand volley.

As the crowd's screams grew louder throughout the point, Auger-Aliassime started laughing even as he chased down that last diving volley, and sent his backhand into the net when the whole court was gaping and Davidovich Fokina was still on the ground.

“I'm actually laughing as I'm running to the ball, I think that's a first,” he said. “The crowd was on their feet as the point was still going on. In my head I was thinking, ‘This is too good.’ And then I missed the open shot.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada celebrates winning the men's singles fourth round match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 5, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Novak Djokovic of Serbia falls over during a point against Roman Saffiulin of Russia in their fourth round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Roman Saffiulin of Russia returns the ball to Novak Djokovic of Serbia in their fourth round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates his victory against Roman Saffiulin of Russia in their fourth round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns the ball to Roman Saffiulin of Russia in their fourth round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Democrat Mallory McMorrow suspended her campaign for the U.S. Senate on Sunday, abruptly reshaping the party primary just a month before the election and leaving a two-person contest between moderate Haley Stevens and progressive Abdul El-Sayed.

McMorrow’s exit comes after many Democrats increasingly viewed her as a long shot for the nomination. It also creates a fresh dynamic in one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races, forcing Democratic voters into a direct choice between Stevens, a mainstream congresswoman backed by much of the party establishment, and El-Sayed, supported by many progressive movement leaders.

The binary choice will be on full display Tuesday, when Stevens and El-Sayed are set to face off in a televised debate. During a May debate, El-Sayed repeatedly went on the offensive against Stevens, who mostly declined to engage directly with him.

McMorrow’s departure could also prompt influential Democrats in the state to announce their support for Stevens because of concerns about El-Sayed’s electability in a general election. Some had stayed on the sidelines because of relationships with McMorrow.

The seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is one that the party must hold if it hopes to reclaim the Senate majority in this fall’s midterm elections. The primary winner is expected to face Republican Mike Rogers, who lost to now-Sen. Elissa Slotkin in 2024.

McMorrow made the announcement in a statement and video posted online Sunday, which came after ballots have already gone out.

“Today, I’m announcing that I am suspending my campaign for United States Senate,” McMorrow wrote.

“And I’m doing it with a deep, deep sense of gratitude," she said. “For our thousands of volunteers, for everyone who donated what you could — building a campaign with zero corporate PAC dollars. For my staff, who built this team up from nothing. I thank you.”

While McMorrow did not elaborate on her decision to exit the race, a person with direct knowledge said the biggest factor was the recent influx of outside spending boosting Stevens. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee has poured millions into ads supporting Stevens, leaving both McMorrow and El-Sayed struggling to keep pace. The person, who would only speak on condition of anonymity, said McMorrow has no plans to endorse either remaining candidate at this point.

McMorrow's rivals reacted quickly to her announcement.

El-Sayed appealed to McMorrow supporters to join “our movement” and accused “party insiders” of “bullying anyone who opposes their chosen candidate.” In a post on X, he said, “We cannot allow the establishment to decide our nominee for us.” Stevens described herself as “the strongest Democrat to defeat Mike Rogers this November” and said in a statement that she looked forward to working with McMorrow “to build a stronger Michigan for everyone.”

The race has increasingly split Democrats along ideological lines, with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer backing Stevens and El-Sayed drawing the support of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and allies such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

State Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, announced on Facebook that she was endorsing Stevens soon after McMorrow dropped out.

Peoples reported from New York.

FILE - Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., joined by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr., File)

FILE - Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Michigan, answers a question during a press conference at the Michigan Democratic Party State Endorsement Convention, April 19, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez, File)

FILE - Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, a candidate for the U.S. Senate, listens to questions from the media during the Michigan Democratic Party State Endorsement Convention, April 19, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez, File)