“I felt nervous after that,” Novak Djokovic addresses the hindrance controversy during Wimbledon semi-finals against Jannik Sinner

Novak Djokovic was controversially handed a point penalty after the chair umpire found him guilty of 'hindrance' during the semis against Jannik Sinner.

“I felt nervous after that,” Novak Djokovic addresses the hindrance controversy during Wimbledon semi-finals against Jannik Sinner

Novak Djokovic argues with the chair umpire (Credits: Diario AS)

It is not easy to be Novak Djokovic. One of the most glorious champions of the sport, he still finds himself amidst controversies, be it with the officials or the crowd. The same happened today during his Wimbledon semis against Jannik Sinner. The Serb however went on to win the match 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) but not without drama on the Centre Court.

During the third game of the second set, Djokovic and Sinner were involved in a tense rally. During one of Djokovic’s returns, he gave an extended grunt as he had to overreach to make the return. As Sinner was about to hit the ball, the chair umpire called hindrance against Djokovic awarding the point to Sinner. The defending champ was shocked by the call and went on to confront the chair umpire.

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“The hindrance early on in the match could have changed the course of the match. I felt nervous after that call, but I managed to re-group. It’s probably the first time it’s happened to me, I don’t normally have extended grunts. Maybe it was an echo in the roof. It was a call that I have to respect,” said Djokovic addressing the incident during his on-court interview.

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He even joked about not hearing the on-court question clearly complaining of a ‘hindrance’. But it was all light-hearted as everyone burst into laughter. The win over Sinner means Djokovic is in his fifth straight final at the Championships having won four titles on the trot. With seven titles already to his name, Nole can win his eighth title at the All-England Club in the last 13 years.

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Novak Djokovic to catch the second semis from a unique place

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Credits: Sportal)

With his win, Novak Djokovic will now have to wait for the second semi-final result. World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is going up against World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev. Both the men are playing their first-ever Wimbledon semi-final. The winner of the two US Open champions will take on Djokovic in the finals on Sunday.

Following his win, Nole was asked whether he was staying back to watch the semis or is he returning to his bungalow. Djokovic cracked up the crowd again with a cheeky answer saying, “Rest and recovery and watching two top players going head-to-head. I’ll be enjoying it from my massage table.”

All the top three ranked men were in contention to reach the World No. 1 rank by winning the title in Wimbledon. Medvedev crashed out of the race when both Alcaraz and Djokovic made it to the second round. In case the Russian beats the young prodigy, Djokovic will be confirmed as the World No. 1 tonight. If Alcaraz sails through into the finals, the title decider will also decide who occupies the World No. 1 spot come Monday. A lot to play for surely.

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