Novak Djokovic added another line to the record books at Wimbledon on July 3, grinding out a four-set win over Arthur Rinderknech to reach the last 16 — and, with it, drawing level with Roger Federer for the most singles victories any man has recorded at the All England Club, Olympics.com reported.

A tougher afternoon than expected

On paper, a seven-time champion against the 25th seed looked routine. It was anything but. Djokovic took the first two sets, 7-5 and 6-4, and seemed set for a comfortable passage — until Rinderknech, a big-serving Frenchman with a taste for serve-and-volley, roared back to take the third 6-1, handing Djokovic a rare heavy set on this surface.

The fourth set went the distance, and into a tie-break, where Djokovic's experience told. He edged it 7-4 to close out a 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4) win after just over three hours, as the ATP Tour reported. Both players ended up on the grass after an eventful final point — Rinderknech in disappointment, Djokovic in relief.

The record

The victory was Djokovic's 105th in singles at Wimbledon, a total that matches Federer's all-time men's record at the tournament. Among all players, only Martina Navratilova, with 120, has won more Wimbledon singles matches. For Djokovic, who has spent his career rewriting the sport's record books, it is another marker of extraordinary longevity at the highest level, and of a particular mastery of the grass on which Federer was long considered the definitive champion.

Drawing level with Federer at Wimbledon carries obvious symbolism, given the pair's long rivalry, and Djokovic now stands one win away from holding the record outright.

Still in the hunt

Beyond the milestone, the result keeps Djokovic on course in his pursuit of more silverware at a tournament he has dominated for much of the past decade. He acknowledged the discomfort of the contest, admitting he had been made to work far harder than the early stages suggested, and there will be sterner tests to come as the draw narrows.

But surviving a scare, on a day when a lesser competitor might have wobbled, is often the mark of a champion, and Djokovic has made a habit of finding a way through exactly these kinds of matches. Rinderknech, for his part, can leave with credit for pushing one of the greatest players in the sport's history to the brink of a fourth set that could have reshaped the afternoon.

What comes next

Djokovic moves into the fourth round with the record within reach and his campaign intact. For all the numbers that now attach to his name, his immediate focus will be the next match rather than the milestones — though, at this stage of a storied career, the two have become difficult to separate.

For the neutral, the appeal is simple: a player chasing history is still, week by week, adding to it, and each win on the Wimbledon grass now nudges him past one of the game's most cherished benchmarks. On Friday he equaled it; the record itself may not stay shared for long.