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Novak Djokovic throws tantrum, smashes racket, damages Wimbledon net but refuses to apologise

The incident added an extra layer of drama to the Wimbledon final, leaving fans and spectators with mixed reactions.

Karen Noronha
Jul 17, 2023
Novak Djokovic throws tantrum, smashes racket, damages Wimbledon net but refuses to apologise
Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic, despite his outburst on Centre Court during his Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz, refused to issue an apology for his actions. The incident occurred when Djokovic, in a fit of frustration, broke his racket into pieces by smashing it against the net post adjacent to the chair umpire. The Serbian tennis star appeared to be on track for his record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title after swiftly securing the first set against a seemingly nervous Alcaraz.

READ | 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz stuns Novak Djokovic in Wimbledon 2023 Final, Twitter reacts with amazement

Throughout the match, Alcaraz got strong support from the crowd which made Djokovic's task even more challenging. Earlier in the match, he had even received a time violation warning from umpire Fergus Murphy for exceeding the service clock.

However, it was Djokovic's significant outburst that occurred after Alcaraz broke his serve in the fifth set that stole the spotlight.

Reacting with pure rage, Djokovic vented his frustration by smashing his racket against the net post. Unfortunately, the Serbian superstar was unable to regain his composure from that point onward, ultimately resulting in Alcaraz's historic victory.

Despite the controversy surrounding his on-court tantrum, Djokovic remained unyielding in his stance and did not feel compelled to offer an apology for his actions.

"There's not much to talk about that," Djokovic said. "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."

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