Wimbledon punishes Novak Djokovic for smashing racquet on Centre Court net-post during final vs Alcaraz

It was meant to be a historic night for Novak Djokovic, who was chasing a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title on Sunday and an unprecedented 24th Grand Slam trophy, amid also adding to his long-standing streak on Centre Court. But instead, the Serb, who was supremely confident of ending as the winner for the fifth successive time, was given a reality check by Carlos Alcaraz, who beat him in five sets. Djokovic's night eventually turned frustrating and the emotions got the better of him during the blockbuster final where he damaged a Wimbledon property with his racquet. The organisers have now slapped a hefty fine on the seven-time winner for his act.

The incident happened in the final set right after Djokovic was broken early to give Alcaraz the much-needed confidence to close the match for a maiden Wimbledon trophy at the age of 20. As the Serb made his way back to his bench, he smashed his racquet in frustration on the Centre Court net-post, leaving a dent mark on it. He was immediately given a code violation warning by the chair umpire, who had earlier warned him for time violation as well.

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A day after the enthralling final, Djokovic was handed a fine of $8,000 (£6,117) for his racquet smash act. This amount will now be deducted from his runner-up cheque of £1.175m.

Djokovic however refused to apologise for his act when he was asked about it in the post-match press conference.

He said: "There's not much to talk about that. Second one was frustration. I had break points in the second game. Yeah, just tough, tough couple of points. He played amazing 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."

'I should've lost a couple of finals': Djokovic gracious in defeat

Despite the loss and being denied the shot at history, Djokovic was gracious in defeat as he congratulated Alcaraz on his second Grand Slam win.

"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.

Djokovic will now shift his focus to US Open, which he had missed last year owing to Covid restrictions. This will in fact be his first US Open appearance in two years, having missed the 2021 edition for the same reason.

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