Novak Djokovic told to ‘get on with it’ as Wimbledon fans left frustrated
Djokovic was eventually given a time violation in the second-set tiebreak
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Novak Djokovic was criticised by the Wimbledon crowd on Centre Court for the time he took to serve during Sunday’s men’s final against Carlos Alcaraz.
The commentators on the BBC pointed out his slow play repeatedly, with the Serbian running down the clock, then throwing the ball up and not serving on several occasions, adding to the already lengthy time between points.
Members of the Centre Court crowd shouted ‘get on with it’, while statistics during the match showed that at one point Djokovic had been taking 33 seconds to serve, compared to Alcaraz’s 27 seconds.
In the second set tie-break, Djokovic finally received a penalty for a time violation, having pushed the limit throughout the match until that point.
The decision from umpire Fergus Murphy was cheered by the crowd, with someone shouting “finally”.
Todd Woodbridge on commentary said: “Djokovic is very good at trying to halt momentum. When he is 30-0 or 40-0 down he takes a lot longer on his serve.
“If the clock is not being officiated to the degree we would expect then it is an advantage to Novak.”
New York Times journalist Christopher Clarey tweeted: “Alcaraz breaks to take the early lead in set two. Doing damage with his forehand now and cracking a smile or two, which he has plenty of time to do as he waits (and waits) for Djokovic to serve”
Ross McAfferty joked on Twitter: “Managed to squeeze in watching a cool video while Djokovic was preparing to serve there.
“Of course, by “cool we video” I mean the Godfather trilogy”.
Djokovic eventually lost a five-set thriller to Alcaraz in one of the all-time great Wimbledon finals but faced further controversy in the match when he smashed up his racket on the net post in anger.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments