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R Ashwin wasn’t impressed with Novak Djokovic’s time-wasting tactics© AFP
Arguably the greatest tennis player of his generation, Novak Djokovic was involved in a thriller against World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. Over the course of the match, Djokovic saw the support for Alcaraz rapidly increase, especially as the Serb continued to be targeted by the crowd and the referee overtime violation. Djokovic would often take 33 seconds to serve, compared to Alcaraz’s 27 seconds. Djokovic was even told to ‘get on with it’ as he looked to buy a few seconds against a fitter and younger Alcaraz. Even the Indian cricket team’s veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took to Twitter, posting a sarcastic tweet about Djokovic.
It was only in the second set tie-break that Djokovic was finally reprimanded with a penalty for time violation, having pushed the limit throughout the match until that point.
The decision from umpire Fergus Murphy received a rousing cheer from the crowd at the venue. Someone was even heard saying ‘finally’ as the penalty was confirmed.
Even Ashwin couldn’t resist taking a dig at Djokovic on the matter.
Time violation #NovakDjokovic #wimbledon2023
— Ashwin (@ashwinravi99) July 16, 2023
In the commentary, Todd Woodbridge said: “Djokovic is very good at trying to halt the momentum. When he is 30-0 or 40-0 down he takes a lot longer on his serve.
“If the clock is not being officiated to the degree we would expect then it is an advantage to Novak.”
Eventually, Djokovic’s time-wasting tactics didn’t bear the fruit he wanted, with the ‘Spanish Bull’ Carlos Alcaraz emerging triumphant in a 5-set thriller.
Alcaraz won only his second Grand Slam title, having clinched the US Open title last year. Courtesy of the result, Alcaraz would hold on to his World No. 1 spot while Djokovic would have to wait at least till the next year to extend his Wimbledon title tally.
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