Wimbledon 2026 Men’s Day 5

Grand Slam champions Novak Djokovc and Jannik Sinner wrapped up third-rond wns at exactly the same moment on Friday as the elite pair advanced under pressure into the second week at Wimbledon.

Defending champion Sinner held off American Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 while seven-time All England Club winner Djokovic won his 105th match at the event with a 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) defeat of Arthur Rinderknech, last Frenchman in the field..

The 39-year-old Djokovic completed his win as Rinderknech hit the grass with a diving volley which the Serb calmly tapped into the open court after three and a quarter hours.

Rinderknech fired 67 winners to 40 for Djokovic, who came within two points in the 18-minute third of losing a set to love on grass for the first time in his career.

But the survivor with 24 Grand Slam titles recovered form in the fourth set, winning it in a tiebreaker to reach the fourth round here for the 18th time.

 “It was a close and tiring match, I was happy to win the tiebreaker,” Djokovic said. “Sometimes you have to find a way to win and I’m happy I did that today.

“There was a lot of slipping and sliding, drop shots, cat and mouse play.

“This has always been a dream tournament of mine, but I’m not thinking about records – I’m just trying to win the match on a given day.”

Djokovc admitted he felt the pressure. “I was stressed out with more tension than usual. It was a challenging match for me.”

Sinner’s win was slightly less dramatic as the world No. 1 earned a straight-sets success on a third match point against No. 81 Brooksby.

“For sure I’m happy with the win,” Sinner said. “I’m trying to improve every day and there are some small things to work on.

“I need to get better if I want to go far here. This surface is very unpredictable… one thing goes slightly wrong and it is tough to win.

“I hope to try to be the best that I can in a couple of days (fourth round).”

Two-time semi-finalist Daniil Medvedev, the eighth seed, was ambushed by Jan Leonard Struff 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), 7-5.

Medved held an 8-1 lead in their series, with his only defeat to the German coming five years ago on grass in Halle.

Roman Safiullin, a 132nd-ranked qualifier who once cracked the top 40, ended the dream of Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 defeat which no pits him against Djokovic. 

The win in just over two hour was a relief for the winner, whose previous two matches were only decided by fifth set 10-point tiebreakers.

The enormity of the occasion got the best of Safiullin, who had to pause his post-match interview to brush away tears.

“After the US Open I had to stop to treat my injury. That time was super tough,” he said. “Even half a year ago I didn’t know if I’d be able to be back. I didn’t know. I’m super happy to be back here.”

The 19-year-old Fonseca said he missed out on his chances in a “tough match.”

“He was putting a lot of pressure, he’s a guy that likes to control the point. 

“I didn’t play bad. Of course I had some opportunities to let him think a little bit

more and let him play more points. I tried to do my best.

“It was a great run here again I think I’m improving on grass and that motivates me to keep going.”

Another teen hopeful, Spaniard Rafael Jodar, was ousted 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-4 by Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki.