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One feared he might never return to top-level tennis. The other will now share the court with a player who, in his mind, is a celebrity.
After causing two of the biggest shocks of the first week at Wimbledon, qualifiers Roman Safiullin and Shintaro Mochizuki will now set their sights on toppling two of the favourites for the Wimbledon title.
Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner are the superstars standing in their way of going any deeper in the tournament, with the quarter-finals just a step away.
Russian Safiullin was in tears after a stunning 6-3 6-3 6-3 over talented Brazilian 24th seed Joao Fonseca, having struggled with an injury he feared he would never fully recover from six months ago.
The 28-year-old is a former Wimbledon quarter-finalist but is now at 132 in the world rankings and had not won an ATP Tour-level match this year before entering qualifying.
He ended his 2025 season after the US Open in August and did not return to action until February.
Safiullin is now on a six-match winning streak in SW19 – including three qualifying matches – as he goes into a fourth-round meeting with seven-time champion Djokovic on Sunday.
Struggling to speak through his tears, Safiullin was given a standing ovation by the crowd on Court Two following his victory over 19-year-old Fonseca.
“After the US Open, I had to stop to treat my injury. That time was super tough. Even half a year ago, I didn’t know whether I would be able to [come] back,” Safiullin said.
Safiullin again became emotional as he tried to explain the significance of his victory, telling the BBC: “It [the emotion] came from the hard times, I would say. It was not an easy period.”
Looking ahead to facing Djokovic, he added: “I played against him three times and only one time I was really close to getting a set against him.
“The other two times he destroyed me. Hopefully this time I will give him problems and make him suffer on the court.”
BBC News
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