Crosswords Sudoku and Comics
Sports

Djokovic Faces Qualifier Safiullin as Wimbledon Reaches Day Seven

Novak Djokovic plays Roman Safiullin on Centre Court while Jessica Pegula meets Iva Jovic on Court One.

Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic after winning the Wimbledon Tennis championship with a 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 win over the defending champion Rafael Nadal (Spain).
This was Novak Djokovic's first Wimbledon championship also elevating him to the no. 1 ATP Rankings for the first time in his career.
The
Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic after winning …      Novak Djokovic Wimbledon    Ank Kumar / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
By Free News Press Editorial Team
Published July 5, 2026 at 1:50 PM PDT

Day seven at Wimbledon brought a high-profile matchup on Centre Court as Novak Djokovic faced qualifier Roman Safiullin. The match put one of the tournament's biggest names against an unseeded player who had worked through qualifying rounds just to reach the main draw.

According to Yahoo Sports, Djokovic was serving to stay in the first set against Safiullin as the match progressed, an early sign that the qualifier was not making things comfortable for the former champion.

On Court One, American sixth seed Jessica Pegula faced Iva Jovic, with Pegula trailing 4-6 after the first set. Jovic, a younger American, had a set in hand and needed to hold on to push the match further.

Later in the day, world number one Aryna Sabalenka was scheduled to take on Naomi Osaka. That match carried its own weight, with Sabalenka defending her status as the top player in the draw and Osaka continuing her return to relevance at the Grand Slam level.

Men's top seed Jannik Sinner and American Coco Gauff were also scheduled for action on day seven. The concentration of high-profile matches made it one of the busier and more closely watched days of the fortnight.

In the doubles draw, British pair Henry Patten and Finnish partner Harri Heliovaara, seeded first in the men's doubles, reached the quarter-finals. The result gave home crowds something to follow as the singles rounds continued to thin the field.

Live coverage of the day's matches was available through the BBC's watch and listen service, which has been carrying Wimbledon throughout the tournament.

Serbian Tennis star Novak Djokovic after winning the Wimbledon championship with a 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 win over the defending champion Rafael Nadal (Spain).
This was Novak Djokovic's first Wimbledon championship also elevating him to the no. 1 ATP Rankings for the first time in his career.
Serbian Tennis star Novak Djokovic after winning …      Novak Djokovic Wimbledon    Ank Kumar / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)