Wimbledon botch scheduling but Novak Djokovic comes through late in the day

Novak Djokovic first stepped on to Centre Court at 13:45 and did not finish his fourth-round match against Tim van Rijthoven until almost 23:00 after what must go down as a Wimbledon scheduling miscalculation.
The top seed and six-time winner joined a parade of former Wimbledon champions alongside the likes of Rod Laver, Billie Jean King, Bjorn Borg, Andy Murray and Roger Federer to celebrate Centre Court’s centenary before play commenced.
However, the decision to begin the ceremony at 13:30 in the afternoon meant Heather Watson’s match against Jule Niemeier did not start until 14:24.

By the time Jannik Sinner had beaten Carlos Alcaraz in four sets, Djokovic finally began his match at 20:00.
The 20-time grand slam champion was therefore in a hurry, but after racing through the first set Dutch dark horse Van Rijthoven took the second at 21:45.
But Djokovic put his foot down to make sure he narrowly beat Wimbledon’s 23:00 curfew by 21 minutes, meaning he did not have to come back on Monday to finish the match, by running out a 6-2 4-6 6-1 6-2 winner.
Clearly the late finish was not ideal for the 35-year-old, as he pointedly thanked the crowd, and fellow six-time singles champion King, for seeing the match through.

“Thanks for staying for this late finish to watch tennis. Thank you Billie Jean for staying, I know it’s been a long day,” he said.
“Under the roof it takes a bit of time to get used to the conditions, but I finished the match well.
“I don’t know if there was a curfew. There is? Phew! I am lucky, thank God.
“I remember playing a match over two days with (Rafael) Nadal a few years ago, in the semi-final. It’s never very pleasant.”
Djokovic will face Sinner in the quarter-finals after the Italian won the battle of the youngsters against Alcaraz.
Locked in.#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/RyDDKwO81Y
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2022
Belgium’s David Goffin won the longest match of the Championships so far, a four-hour 36-minute marathon against Frances Tiafoe.
Goffin, the former world number seven, came from 2-1 down to triumph 7-6 (3) 5-7 5-7 6-4 7-5.
Goffin also beat Tiafoe at the French Open last month and the American said with a smile: “The only thing I can say honestly right now is f*** David. He beat me two slams in a row. F*** that guy.”
The 31-year-old Goffin will face Britain’s Cameron Norrie following his straight-sets win against American Tommy Paul.
Latest
-
WTA Tour
Heather Watson ends her quarter-final drought with win in Thailand – ‘It was just survival of the fittest’
Heather Watson will now face Chinese seventh seed Xinyu Wang.
-
Tennis News
Toni Nadal shares thoughts on fans’ hostility toward Novak Djokovic as well as Rafael Nadal’s future
Toni Nadal on why Novak Djokovic has so many detractors.
-
Tennis News
Stunning LTA numbers confirm tennis participation is booming in Britain
New figures have revealed that there has been a 47 per-cent increase in tennis participation in clubs and parks across Britain.
-
WTA Tour
Aryna Sabalenka’s 2023 tennis schedule: Where is she competing next and her season so far…
A look at Aryna Sabalenka’s possible tournaments for the 2023 season.
-
News
Serena Williams welcomes Tom Brady to ‘retirement world again’ as she opens up about her final match ‘regret’
“Sad to see you go,” Serena Williams told Tom Brady.
-
Tennis News
Elina Svitolina urges IOC to ‘stick to banning Russian and Belarusian athletes’ for Paris 2024 Olympics
Elina Svitolina wants a united front when it comes to sanctions imposed against Russia and Belarus.
-
Tennis News
Marion Bartoli latest to criticise Elena Rybakina’s coach Stefano Vukov – ‘I just can’t take that any more’
Marion Bartoli basing her opinion on Elena Rybakina’s coach Stefano Vukov on incidents she witnessed herself.
-
Australian Open
Australian Open viewing figures need context amid Novak Djokovic snipes
TV viewing figures for Australian Open may appear to be disappointing, yet raw figures only reveal part of the story.
-
Tennis News
Nick Kyrgios on crutches as his manager gives fitness update
Everyone is “really, really pleased” with Nick Kyrgios’ recovery.
-
WTA Tour
Iga Swiatek’s 2023 tennis schedule: Where is she competing next and her season so far…
A look at Iga Swiatek’s possible tournaments for the 2023 season.