Novak Djokovic dragged into Wimbledon 'mess' amid tradition backlash
The World No.2 had to leave court after the second set at Wimbledon.
Tennis fans have been left slamming an old Wimbledon tradition after Novak Djokovic was forced off the court due to the tournament curfew stopping play in his round of 16 match. This year's Wimbledon has been hit with a number of disruptions with rain wreaking havoc in the first few days.
However, one of the biggest issues causing trouble at Wimbledon is the afternoon schedule on centre court. The 2.30pm start has now seen Djokovic enter centre court for his night session match at around 9pm.
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Against second round opponent Stan Wawrinka, Djokovic and the Swiss ace didn't walk onto the court till 8.30pm local time. This left them a little more than two hours to finish their match before the 11pm curfew struck.
Against his latest opponent, Hubert Hurkacz, the duo didn't walk onto the stadium till around 9pm. Djokovic ended up taking the first two sets in closely-fought tiebreaks. The second set finished at 10.35pm.
And to avoid the duo starting another set, court umpire Gerry Armstrong approached both Djokovic and Hurkacz as they were forced to pack up and leave to make way for the traditional curfew.
The 11pm curfew, introduced in 2009, continues to cause issues. The fans that are on centre court for the night session and are hoping to see a full Djokovic match would have left disappointed. Viewers have been calling for the centre court matches to start slightly earlier in the day to avoid disruptions later on in the evening.
Djokovic echoed this sentiment last year when he said starting earlier on centre court could prevent a match being delayed and continued the next day under different conditions.
Tennis fans hit out at Wimbledon curfew tradition
The curfew has already disrupted other matches in this year's Championship. And fans were left fuming at the tradition with many calling the curfew a big hit to the momentum of the match.
Others suggested moving the schedule forward or scrapping the curfew altogether, which is in place to appease the neighbours of the Wimbledon club, would rule out any drama from the players or fans.
What the decision-makers of Wimbledon have codified as tradition is actually just conservatism. It shouldn't be this hard to make a change in the schedule to start the matches earlier.
— Burak Dikici (@burakkdikicii) July 9, 2023
This 11:00pm #Wimbledon curfew rule is such a mess. I mean seriously the schedule has already been ruined this week due to rain. Just start the games earlier on Center Court. Djokovic x Hurkazc to be continued tomorrow🤦🏻♀️
— Rayane Moussallem (@RioMoussallem) July 9, 2023
This curfew is so bloody dumb. Sort it out next year @Wimbledon. Start earlier or have a conversation about this ridiculous bylaw. #Wimbledon
— Nick Ed (@NickEd82) July 9, 2023
This @Wimbledon curfew is totally unfair and kills the momentum of the games. #Wimbledon
— Kristin Fornaris (@KristinF88) July 9, 2023
This curfew really is an embarrassment for Wimbledon.
— Christiano (@Christian_Dyer) July 9, 2023
I still find the curfew really funny, if it is about appeasing local residents. Like, imagine buying a house or renting in Wimbledon, and then being unhappy about Wimbledon happening https://t.co/cOWwMrgz2E
— Adam Crafton (@AdamCrafton_) July 9, 2023
Djokovic & Hurkacz will not come on until 9PM British Time. And they'll have to stop at 11PM.
This 11PM curfew is stupid. Either remove the curfew or start earlier#Wimbledon— Vatsal Madhup Tolasaria (@vatsaltolasaria) July 9, 2023
Djokovic is looking to equal Martina Navratilova's record of nine Wimbledon trophies at this year's championship. He will also be looking to extend his lead with 24 grand slam titles having won both the Australian and French Open in 2023.
If Djokovic can avoid a collapse when he returns on Monday, which saw Andy Murray drop his set lead after play was suspended to lose his second round match, he will face Andrey Rublev. The Russian was taken to five sets against Alexander Bublik in one of the matches of the tournament.
Rublev set up match point with arguably the shot of the tournament in the fifth set, which sent John McEnroe absolutely wild.
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