Djokovic and Osaka eye Wimbledon glory as quarters begin

July 6 : Wimbledon moves into its quarter-finals on Tuesday, with 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic taking on third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, while Naomi Osaka, fresh off a win over world number one Aryna Sabalenka, faces Karolina Muchova.

TOP MEN'S MATCH: FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME V NOVAK DJOKOVIC

Djokovic's scrappy win over Roman Safiullin in the round of 16 got him the record for the most Wimbledon wins with 106 victories at the All England Club. But the 39-year-old still has major hurdles to cross before he can achieve his dream of a record 25th Grand Slam.

The 39-year-old has been dragged into four-set battles in the last two matches, and his 3-1/2 hour contest with qualifier Safiullin left Djokovic knowing he had won ugly.

"I enjoy the battle. I enjoy the suffering in a sense, to some extent, even though I don't want it, I don't invite it," Djokovic said after his win over Safiullin.

"If it happens, you just have to grind and look for a way to win."

Djokovic faced third seed Auger-Aliassime twice in 2022, with each player winning once.

"I hope that I can show that I've improved as a player," the 25-year-old Canadian said about his clash with Djokovic.

"It's a big honour for me ... as a kid I didn't appreciate it as much, but now that I'm a player, the load of work he's done over the years, I mean, I'm not even near any of that. Just to think about it, it's crazy. You get dizzy just to think about it."

TOP WOMEN'S MATCH: NAOMI OSAKA V KAROLINA MUCHOVA

There were glimpses of the old Osaka in her dominant win over world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the round of 16. The Japanese 14th seed, who is making headlines with her fashion at Wimbledon, is now being regarded as one of the top picks for the title.

The 28-year-old,