LONDON — Roman Safiullin broke down in tears Friday after completing an emotional return from injury with a convincing 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Joao Fonseca to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon.
The Russian, who reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2023, ended his 2025 season after the U.S. Open because of injury and entered this year’s Championships without a single tour-level victory in 2026. After battling through qualifying, however, Safiullin has produced three consecutive wins to secure another place in the second week at the All England Club.
“After the U.S. Open, I had to stop to treat my injury. That time was super tough,” Safiullin said on court while fighting back tears. “Even half a year ago, I didn’t know whether I would be able to come back. I’m super happy to be back here.”
Although he had not won a main-draw ATP Tour match before Wimbledon this season, Safiullin rebuilt his confidence by capturing consecutive ATP Challenger titles in Oeiras and Mauthausen earlier this year.
Ranked No. 132 entering the tournament, the 28-year-old began his Wimbledon campaign by saving two match points to defeat fellow Russian Andrey Rublev before overcoming Botic van de Zandschulp in five sets.
Against Fonseca, Safiullin delivered his most complete performance of the fortnight. He did not face a break of serve, saving all five break points he encountered while controlling the match from the baseline throughout the two-hour, nine-minute contest.
The run has lifted Safiullin 37 places to No. 95 in the live ATP rankings and guarantees his return to the top 100.
He will next face either seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic or France’s Arthur Rinderknech for a place in the quarterfinals.
Safiullin’s deepest Grand Slam run remains his quarterfinal appearance at Wimbledon in 2023, where he was eventually eliminated by Jannik Sinner. With Friday’s victory, he improved his career record at the Championships to 9-3 and moved one win away from matching his best result at a major.
