Wimbledon called out for ‘shambolic’ decision-making as Novak Djokovic complaints fall on deaf ears
Novak Djokovic’s complaints about the Centre Court roof being closed at Wimbledon may have fallen on deaf ears but the all-time great’s concerns are not unfounded.
Soon after the Serbian dropped the second set to Felix Auger-Aliassime in their quarter-final match on Tuesday, the players were informed that the roof would be closed, even though it was only 7.40pm.
Djokovic claimed that they could have played another set without having to take such action, with the frustrated 39-year-old vehemently stating that this is an outdoor tournament.
He said, “Why now? Why now? The other day, you didn’t want to close it until like 8:20-8:30pm, and now you want to close it? You don’t want to get to 8.30pm? It’s 7.40pm now. We can play a whole set outdoors. We are an outdoor tournament,
“Where’s the consistency? You are so proud of your rules and you are not sticking to any kind of rules. You have no idea what the rule is.”
More Novak Djokovic News
Novak Djokovic told he cannot beat Jannik Sinner by former British No 1
Novak Djokovic’s emotional declaration after record breaking Wimbledon quarter-final
Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.
Following his 7-6(10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(4) victory over the Canadian, in a match that lasted five hours and 15 minutes, Djokovic doubled down on his assertion.
The No 7 seed said in his post match press conference, “I feel like I played more indoor tournament than outdoor, to be honest.”
Now, tennis content creator and commentator Gill Gross has called out Wimbledon officials for their “shambolic” handling of this incident.
Gross stated that neither player wanted to close the roof, particularly as it leads to a delay of around 15 minutes and the conditions change with it, and they need to implement a clear policy on this going forward.
He said on his YouTube channel, “The whole thing seemed shambolic. I just don’t like the way Wimbledon is set up technologically here, with the fact that you have the pause in the match, and you start the Centre Court late and you’re always taking 10 minutes to close the roof and changing the conditions in the middle of the match – it is just not ideal.
“I don’t think leaving it up to the players, on when the roof should close, is the answer because the players are going to try and figure out, ‘Well, what’s better for me?’
“In this case, though, both players didn’t want the roof to close. My thing is… write a policy, it’s not that hard. This should not be confusing or a judgment call. Write a policy about when the roof closes and when it doesn’t.
“Come on now. I don’t get it. I don’t think it mattered much in the match. Felix and Novak are both great indoor players.”
Wimbledon have also been criticised for stubbornly sticking to its 1.30pm start time on Centre Court, with a number of matches either ending right before the 11pm curfew or being suspended until the following day.
Incidentally, Djokovic‘s epic win sets up a mouth-watering semi-final clash with world No 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner on Friday.
WHAT NEXT? Novak Djokovic and Joao Fonseca fined by Wimbledon as latest penalties confirmed
