"I saw Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic win here" - Wimbledon quarterfinal debutant Roman Safiullin recalls childhood memories 

Roman Safiullin stunned 26th seed Denis Shapovalov to book his spot in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Wimbledon for the first time in his career. After his momentous win, he spoke about Wimbledon and recalled growing up watching the Big 3 win the historic tournament.

The Russian dropped the first set but quickly bounced back. With a firm hold over his opponent, he closed the match 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 in his favor in two hours and 11 minutes. This is the deepest run that he has made in any Grand Slam event so far, placing him at his career-high ranking of No. 43.

In a post-match press conference, the 25-year-old was asked about Wimbledon's following where he grew up, and whether he watched it as a child. Safiullin replied in the affirmative and recalled watching legends such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic make their indelible marks at SW19.

"Yes, of course. Of course, when I was a kid I was watching basically all the tournaments which I could watch, and especially Wimbledon. So I saw Roger and Novak, Rafa winning here. So it's a great memories," he said.

He also added walking past the boards with all the past champions' names was a special experience.

"I'm happy to see like downstairs we have a board where is all the champions here. It's really nice to see the whole history of the winning Grand Slams," he added.

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Roman Safiullin to clash with Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon 2023

Roman Safiullin at the 2023 Wimbledon

Roman Safiullin will square off against eighth seed Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Wimbledon on Tuesday, July 11.

Safiullin began his Wimbledon campaign with a five-set triumph over 20th seed Roberto Bautista Agut. Boosted by his win over a top-25 player, he overcame Corentin Moutet and Guido Pella in the second and third rounds, respectively.

Roman Safiullin surged past Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the fourth round on Sunday, July 9, and is now the 12th man in the Open Era to reach the quarterfinals on his Wimbledon debut.

Jannik Sinner, meanwhile, continued his dream run at Wimbledon, overcoming Juan Manuel Cerundolo and Diego Schwartzman in the first and second rounds, respectively, in straight sets. He dropped his first and only set so far in the third round against Quentin Haleys before enjoying another straight-set win over Colombian David Elahi Galan in the fourth round.

This is the second consecutive time that the World No. 8 has reached the quarterfinals of the tournament and is the first Italian to reach multiple Wimbledon quarterfinals.

The two players have met just once on the court — at the 2022 ATP Cup in Australia — with Sinner emerging victorious.