Tennis: Wimbledon punishes Djokovic for smashing racquet on net post in epic final vs Alcaraz

Novak Djokovic lost the Wimbledon 2023 final versus Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set thriller on Sunday (July 16). The Serbian was a favourite to lift the title, which would have been his 24th Grand Slam title and eighth Wimbledon trophy. But the Spaniard was the better player in the summit clash, winning 1-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 to lift his second major title and maiden championship at the All England Club on a packed Centre Court.

While Djokovic missed a golden opportunity to extend his Grand Slam tally, he was visibly upset when the going got tough in the marquee finale. Emotions were flying high and Djokovic even lost his cool as he smashed his racquet at the Centre Court net post. Wimbledon has now levied a hefty fine on him for damaging a property with his racquet. 

The incident took place during the final set when the game had intensified. After Djokovic was broken early to give his opponent the much-needed confidence to wrap up the contest, the Serbian went back towards his bench and vented out his frustration on the racquet. He smashed it on the Centre Court net-post, leaving a dent mark. As a result, he was immediately given a code violation warning by the chair umpire. Earlier, he had also been warned for time violation.

A day after the summit clash, second-ranked Djokovic was handed a fine of $8,000 (£6,117). It will be cut from his runner-up cheque which accounts for a whopping £1.175 million ($1.53mn).

Despite being pointed out for his racquet smash act, Djokovic refused to apologise during the post-match press conference. At the presser, the 36-year-old said: “There’s not much to talk about that. The second one was frustration. I had break points in the second game. Yeah, just tough, tough couple of points. He played amazingly to break my serve, which was enough to win the fifth. The first one was the time violation, so yeah. Not a great moment again, but you just kind of have to accept it.”

The Serbian also reflected on his defeat to 20-year-old Alcaraz. He said, “I’ve won many close matches here down the years, maybe I should have lost a couple of finals that I won so it’s even Stevens,” said Djokovic. “It’s a tough one to swallow when you are so close. I lost to the better player and I have to congratulate him and move on.”

“I’ve won many close matches here down the years, maybe I should have lost a couple of finals that I won so it’s even Stevens. It’s a tough one to swallow when you are so close. I lost to the better player and I have to congratulate him and move on,” he added.

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