Novak Djokovic reaches Wimbledon last 16 as qualifiers Roman Safiullin and Shintaro Mochizuki advance to second week

Novak Djokovic defeated Arthur Rinderknech in four sets, including a tense tiebreak, to move into the last 16 at Wimbledon and look ahead to a potential 25th Grand Slam title. Djokovic said he views tennis as "entertainment" and emphasized the need to engage the crowd while managing his energy across the tournament.

From the qualifying draw, Russian Roman Safiullin earned a place in the fourth round after a straight-sets win over Brazil's Joao Fonseca. Safiullin, who returned from a career‑threatening hip injury, became emotional after his victory and will face Djokovic in the next round. Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki also upset Spain's Rafael Jodar to set up a fourth‑round match with world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, becoming only the fourth Japanese man to reach a Grand Slam fourth round in the professional era.

Both qualifiers highlighted the difficulty of their journeys, with Safiullin noting the long hours and match‑point saves required to reach the main draw, and Mochizuki describing his strategy to unsettle Sinner by varying his play.