Novak Djokovic Gets 'Record' Fine For Destroying His Racket In Wimbledon Final
A packed house audience at the All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club expressed displeasure for Novak Djokovic's aggressive action as they started booing the all-time grand slam winner.
Tennis legend Novak Djokovic let loose his rage on his racket after losing the third game in the fifth set of his epic duel with Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. Djokovic was so frustrated and angry with himself for not being able to hold serve that he smacked his racket into the net post, breaking its frame. A packed house audience at the All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club expressed displeasure for Djokovic's aggressive action as they started booing the all-time grand slam winner.
Watch below viral video of the incident where Novak Djokovic let’s his frustration out:
RACQUET SMASH: Novak Djokovic was unable to keep his cool as his long reign at Wimbledon was brought to an end by Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in an epic men's singles final. 🎾 #9News
— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) July 17, 2023
HIGHLIGHTS: https://t.co/AxhB6GIW6R pic.twitter.com/QKZZCpmZld
After his outburst on Sunday, Novak Djokovic is losing more than just his racket.The 36-year-old was fined for smashing his racket as he broke the code of conduct and received a “Code Violation”. American tabloid, NY Post reported “Following Djokovic’s loss to Alcaraz, he was hit with an $8,000 (£6,100) fine for “racket abuse,” the largest individual fine in 2023.”
“The fine is a drop in the bucket for the Serbian tennis legend, who made $1.4 million for his runner-up performance in London.”
The penalty for smashing the racket was just one incident for Djokovic in a contentious event. On Sunday, he was also penalized for a time violation between serves penalty, and in the semifinal match against Italian Jannik Sinner, the Serb was cited for a hindrance violation following a loud grunt.
Djokovic, who had not lost on Centre Court since losing to Andy Murray in the 2013 final, lost the title match to Alcaraz, an emerging talent 16 years younger to him.
For Carlos Alcazar, Wimbledon’s new champion, it was his only fourth tournament on grass. It was another crowning achievement in Alcaraz's brief career, adding to his 2022 US Open trophy to give him a second Grand Slam title.
The 20-year-old breaks the 21-year-old record of only four players winning Wimbledon in-between them: Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.