Cheeky Novak Djokovic emerges from Wimbledon semis with "hindrance" sass & fake tears
Called for a hindrance during his victory over Jannik Sinner Friday, the Serb found a creative way to reference it during an on-court interview.
The Djoke’s on you!
On Friday at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic made his way into a record-setting 35th Grand Slam singles final when he eliminated first-time major semifinalist Jannik Sinner, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4).
While enjoying a straight-set victory, an unexpected penalty called against the 23-time major champion midway through the match wasn’t lost on the Serb when it came time to reflect on his latest performance.
Serving at 2-1, 15-15, in the second set, Djokovic was in control on the baseline and ripped a backhand up the line. As he finish his stroke, the seven-time event champion let out an extended grunted. Sinner slid into the shot for a defensive reply, but chair umpire Richard Haigh announced “hindrance” in awarding the point to the Italian.
Taken aback, Djokovic kneeled down, then approached.
“What are you doing?”, he asked as a short discussion broke out before accepting the ruling. Later, when answering a post-match question on court, the No. 2 seed found a way to sneak the word into his response.
“I try not to look at the age as a hindrance or a factor that might decide the outcome on the court,” he said as a smile began breaking out. “In contrary actually, I feel 36 is the new 26, I guess. It feels good.”
In press, Djokovic added, “It has never happened to me. I've never had a hindrance call for extended grunt. 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.”
Sinner’s two set point chances came with his opponent serving at 4-5, 15-40 in the third set. It was here when Djokovic faced another unfavorable moment. After missing a first serve, a commotion from an upper section caught Djokovic’s attention. Before firing his second serve, he stepped back, gave an applause on his racquet and shook his head.
Ultimately responding with his racquet to level for 5-5, Djokovic then responded with his emotions by pretending to cry. Cry harder, try harder—perhaps the underlying message to those who attempted to get under the skin of a man who went on to clinch his 35th consecutive Centre Court win.