London - July 4

Good morning and welcome back to TIE-Breakfast: all the tennis you need with your breakfast.

Ace Cream's daily newsletter during Masters 1000s and Grand Slams, every morning at 8:30.

Today is Saturday, July 4th, it's 07:30 in London and it's 20 degrees. Ok, let's go.

Today at breakfast

• 🇷🇸 Djokovic equals Federer: 105th Wimbledon win
• 🇮🇹 Sinner cruises into the fourth round without dropping a set
• 🇩🇪 Struff surprise: Medvedev eliminated in the third round
• 🇧🇾 Sabalenka, Gauff and Osaka advance without trouble
• 🇮🇹 Today it's Paolini, Cobolli and Berrettini's turn
• 🇵🇱 Swiatek opens Centre Court against Eala

WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY:

🇷🇸 Djokovic Equals Federer

Novak Djokovic defeated Arthur Rinderknech 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6, reaching 105 Wimbledon wins and equaling the record previously held by Roger Federer. The Serb needed four sets, including a third set lost to love that briefly suggested a possible slip-up. Numbers like these, at this stage of his career, say something beyond the single statistic: not so much for the record itself, but for the consistency with which Djokovic keeps showing up on this court after more than twenty years, a detail that perhaps matters more than the round number. It remains to be seen whether his body, after a hard-fought four-set match, will hold up through the pace of the coming rounds.

🇮🇹 Sinner Cruises Into The Fourth Round

Jannik Sinner dispatched Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, the most clear-cut third round of his tournament after the first-round scare. His next opponent will be Japan's Shintaro Mochizuki, who eliminated Spain's Rafael Jodar in four sets and is reaching his first Grand Slam fourth round. It's not yet time for assessments, but the sense is that the defending champion is handling the grass with a clarity that, more than the single win, speaks of an adjustment that has come without too many bumps. Mochizuki nonetheless remains a bit of a wildcard on the big stage, adding a touch of uncertainty to a match that on paper favors the Italian.

🇩🇪 Struff Surprise: Medvedev Eliminated

Jan-Lennard Struff eliminated eighth seed Daniil Medvedev 7-6, 7-6, 7-5, in a match decided almost entirely by fine margins. The Russian never found the key to truly pull away from his opponent, and that says a lot: more than a glaring shortcoming, it looks like a sign of a moment in which the small margins — the ones he used to almost always control — are now going the other way. Struff, for his part, played with the solidity of someone who feels at home on grass, without ever overreaching.

🇧🇾 Sabalenka, Gauff And Osaka Advance

A day without surprises for the top names on the women's draw: Aryna Sabalenka defeated Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-4, Coco Gauff got past Claire Liu 6-3, 6-7, 6-2, and Naomi Osaka beat Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-3. Three wins that came about in different ways, but which, placed side by side, paint the picture of a third round that confirmed rather than overturned the hierarchy. Gauff, in particular, had to sweat through one more set than the other two, a detail that perhaps tells us more than the two clean wins taken in isolation.

WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY:

• Swiatek vs Eala - The defending champion opens play on Centre Court against the Philippines' Alexandra Eala, their first meeting on grass: a test to see how well the Pole has already adapted to the surface that has historically suited her least.
• Anisimova vs Keys - An all-American clash between last year's finalist and the Australian Open champion: the winner will be in the running for a heavyweight quarterfinal.
• Berrettini vs Dimitrov - The marquee match of the men's schedule, between two players who have always produced quality tennis on grass: curiosity to see just how sound Berrettini's body really is after the injuries of recent years.
• Paolini vs Sakkari - The Italian looks for the fourth round against the Greek, a tough opponent on any surface: a match that promises to be longer than the draw suggests.
• Cobolli vs Khachanov - After the marathon he won in the second round, Cobolli faces the 20th seed: the question is how much he left on the court in the battle two days ago.
• Rybakina vs Mertens - The Kazakh, always dangerous on grass, will face one of the tour's most solid and experienced opponents.

Further reading

• Novak Djokovic equals long-time rival Roger Federer with 105 match wins at Wimbledon
• Jannik Sinner continues to find form, sinks Jenson Brooksby to reach Wimbledon R4
• Wimbledon, giornata d'oro per l'Italia: avanzano Berrettini, Cobolli, Sonego e Paolini
• Wimbledon 2026, quando giocano Sinner, Cobolli, Berrettini, Sonego, Paolini, Errani
• Wimbledon 2026, Cobolli e Sonego avanzano al 3° turno

Have a great breakfast and a great day.

See you tomorrow at 08:30 with TIE-Breakfast