Novak Djokovic secured his place in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon once again, but his victory over qualifier Roman Safiullin failed to convince fans and experts alike. The Serbian, despite being the overwhelming favorite, had to work hard to overcome his opponent, clinching a win in four sets — 7-6(6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 — in a match marked by heightened emotions, protests, and signs of physical discomfort.
Djokovic, who reached this stage of the London tournament for the 17th time, had to recover from a shaky start, as Safiullin, a player outside the world’s top 100, surprised with high-level tennis. The Russian entered the match confidently, buoyed by victories over Andrey Rublev and João Fonseca, and even led 5-2 in the first set. However, Djokovic fought back, forced a tie-break, and only managed to close out the initial set on his third set point. The second set went in his favor with a single break, but the third proved to be much more complicated: Djokovic saw his level drop dramatically, lost the set, and did not hide his frustration, even receiving a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct after a fit of rage.
The former world number one once again demonstrated his experience and class by overcoming physical and emotional difficulties, recovering in the fourth set to close out the match. The dream of a 25th Grand Slam title remains intact, but doubts regarding his physical condition and mental state have increased, especially following criticisms from Greg Rusedski.
Greg Rusedski analyzed Djokovic's performance on his podcast and did not hold back in describing the match as “tense,” “nervous,” and “complaining.” The former British number one emphasized: “Djokovic started perfectly. He took the lead, and then suddenly, he had a break, lost the third set, won in four, but he was complaining, grumbling. He received a warning for inappropriate language, hit a ball into the back of the court towards the royal box. This was not the usual Djokovic. He was tense, a bit nervous, a bit whiny, but he found a way to win, and that’s the most important thing.”
Rusedski also highlighted the physical issue with Djokovic's right shoulder, which has been troubling him lately and caused him to miss several important tournaments before the French Open. “Now he has two days of rest. He had heavy tape on his shoulder when he took his shirt off,” Rusedski commented, adding: “And it seemed like he was having trouble breathing because he took much longer between points.” Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime will be Djokovic's next opponent, and Rusedski did not hide his uncertainty: “We’ll see what condition Novak is in. Why was he so ill-tempered? We’ll see if he can find a solution. We’ll know his true form on Wednesday.”
Another topic addressed by Rusedski was the slowness of the conditions at Wimbledon this year, not due to the courts, but rather the balls, which he described as “slower, fluffier, heavier.” For the former player, this could be “a big problem for Djokovic and his aspirations for glory,” as “players cannot get past their opponents due to the balls” and “it is necessary to vary heights, spins, and slices.”
With few direct encounters between Djokovic and Auger-Aliassime in the past, all signs point to an unpredictable and high-level duel. The Serbian seeks to prove that experience and status still make a difference, while the Canadian hopes to seize the opportunity to surprise and return to the top at Wimbledon. The anticipation is high for a clash that promises intense emotions and could define Djokovic's true form in this tournament.
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