16 July 2023 , 15:49
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Novak Djokovic wound up tennis fans with his slow serving in the Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz – leaving some convinced the umpire allowed him to bend the rules.
Djokovic is a divisive figure at Wimbledon, with the defending champion often railing against the crowd’s affection for his opponents. The seven-time champion was seen mock crying during his semi-final win over Jannik Sinnner and was not winning over supporters on Sunday in the showpiece either.
The 36-year-old was extremely slow on serve, deliberately taking his time between first and second serves. Players are allowed 25 seconds to serve, with a clock on Centre Court counting down so everyone can see.
Djokovic was pushing his luck, bouncing the ball more than usual while serving – and fans thought they saw something approaching a conspiracy in his favour. Viewers noticed that, at one point, the clock was stuck on 12 seconds, meaning Djokovic was not being punished for taking too long on service.
"This is rigged, how many times did the clock stop, come on man,” one fan tweeted. Another added: "What is this corruption at Wimbledon with the shot clock pausing on Djokovic service games? Madness."
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"Was the clock just paused? Because if so, isn't that rigging in #Djokovic's favour??” one wrote. Another wrote: “Wimbledon is fixed! Djokovic will win. If the clock is so obviously fixed for us all to see then what else is that we can't see?"
That proved not to be the case as umpire Fergus Murphy issued Djokovic with a time violation when he was serving at 5-4 in the second set tie-break. Djokovic looked annoyed but did not dispute the call as he went on to lose the breaker to Alcaraz.
Novak Djokovic took his time when serving (Julian Finney/Getty Images)He did show his discontent with Murphy at the end of the set, though. He was seen grumbling to the umpire while he had a drink and used a towel over at his chair.
He again clashed with the umpire midway through the third set, complaining about the clock and, this time, how fast he felt it was moving.
Djokovic is aiming to win his 24th Major title at Wimbledon to extend his record at the top of the men’s game. Despite his huge success and status as one of the best players of all time, he remains frustrated that he is not universally adored.
Alcaraz’s comeback to level the match at 1-1 left the crowd in raptures. Chants of 'Carlos, Carlos, Carlos!' could be heard before Djokovic responded by roaring and goading the crowd by cupping his ear.