USA tennis star demands more punishments after Novak Djokovic's Wimbledon hindrance call divides opinions

The semifinal contest between Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner saw a moment of controversy early in the second set. Having already sealed the first set, Djokovic was leading by a break in the second and was looking to consolidate. However, he was penalized for a rarely-called decision, when chair umpire Richard Haigh called hindrance and awarded a point to Sinner. (Wimbledon 2023 final Live Updates)

The call took place when Djokovic let out an extended grunt following a backhand down the line. While players aren’t allowed to be excessively loud with their grunts and sounds of exertion, the umpires are expected to give leeway as long as it is within reason. However, Haigh felt Djokovic’s grunt started late, and could potentially have distracted Sinner from returning the ball.

Also read: Wimbledon 2023 final prize money: Here's how much the winner of Carlos Alcaraz vs Novak Djokovic clash takes home

Djokovic was infuriated by the call, and left in shock. The umpire received criticism for his decision from commentators such as John McEnroe, as well as online from fans claiming that if such a decision were awarded, tennis would be a very different sport.

Players also seem to hold such an opinion, one of whom is American Taylor Fritz. The world number 9 took to Twitter to share his thoughts regarding the decision. Fritz wrote: “I can’t speak to this specific instance because I didn’t see it. Novak doesn’t come to my mind when I think of this rule.”

“BUT some players I can think of extend/delay grunts A LOT on big points to put you off and it needs to be called more by umpires,” concluded the American. The decision split many people, with some claiming that Djokovic started the sound too late with the ball already on Sinner’s side of the net. Others argued that Djokovic was being penalized for something that was instinctual and did not have a motive.

Fritz was knocked out by Yannick Hanfmann in the second round of the tournament, a disappointing result in a tough year for the American to this point. While he gave his opinion on the matter, he didn’t name names, but was also quick to defend some players in his replies.

In particular, he defended Djokovic’s opponent in the Wimbledon final, world number one Carlos Alcaraz. Fritz humorously replied to a commenter who insinuated Alcaraz is guilty of being overtly loud with his grunts, and wrote “Nah his is consistent and if he ever extends it it’s when he blasts a winner so doesn’t matter.”

Djokovic spoke about the incident in his press conference, stating “I saw the replay. I saw that my grunt finished before he hit the shot. So I thought that chair umpire's call was not correct. I mean, my opinion.” The point wouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, as the Serb held on to the game and ran out a comfortable winner against the talented Italian, 6-3 6-4 7-6.

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