Novak Djokovic’s fiery on-court behaviour costs him more than just a Wimbledon defeat

As if losing in the Wimbledon finals wasn’t enough, tennis superstar Novak Djokovic has been dealt another painful blow after being fined a record amount for an on-court outburst.

Djokovic’s blow-up occurred after his opponent Carlos Alcaraz broke Djokovic’s serve in the deciding fifth set of the third game. As both players proceeded to change ends, Djokovic smashed his racquet against the net post.

At the time Djokovic was issued a code violation from the chair umpire and received a chorus of boos from spectators.

However, it can now be revealed that Djokovic has been handed a whopping $AU 11,674 (£6,100) for “racquet abuse”, making it the largest fine issued at this year’s tournament.

Following the match, Djokovic had little to say about the outburst and simply brushed it off as “frustration in the moment”.

“There’s not much to talk about that. [It] was frustration. I had break points in the second game. Yeah, just a tough, tough couple of points,” he told reporters.

“He played amazing to break my serve, which was enough to win the fifth [set].

“It was a frustration in the moment.’

“I answered to your colleague two minutes ago about that. There’s not much to say about that.”

During the hard-fought final at the All England Club on Sunday, July 16, Alcaraz delivered a remarkable comeback performance to halt Djokovic’s historic 34-match winning streak and claim victory at Wimbledon.

Alcaraz secured a thrilling 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 win over Djokovic in a gruelling four-hour, 42-minute battle, capturing his maiden Wimbledon championship and second Grand Slam trophy overall.

A new name. A new reign. ????????@carlosalcaraz, your 2023 Gentlemen’s Singles champion#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/3KNlRTOPhx

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 16, 2023

Alcaraz, now ranked No. 1 in the world, not only denied Djokovic a record-tying eighth Wimbledon title but also prevented the Serbian legend from securing his 24th career major.

The young Spaniard’s resilience and determination shone through as he rebounded from a slow start and surged in the later stages of the match.

Following his incredible performance, Alcaraz described the win as “a dream come true”.

“I said before, it’s great to win but even if I had lost, I would be really proud of myself, making history in this beautiful tournament, playing against a legend of our sport. For me, it’s incredible,” he said.

“For a boy, 20 years old, I didn’t expect to reach these situations so fast. I’m really proud of myself; I’m really proud of the team that I have, the work that we do every day to be able to live this experience.”