Novak Djokovic has denied he caused hindrance to his opponent after being slapped with a rare violation during his Wimbledon semi-final win over Jannik Sinner.
The incident occurred at 15-15 in game four of the second set as British umpire Richard Haigh decided that Djokovic shouted too late after hitting a return, which he felt subsequently put off his Italian opponent.
Haigh stopped the point mid-rally and handed it to Sinner with Djokovic left furious over the decision, crouching in disbelief before storming over to the umpire and asking what he was doing.
Djokovic went on to win the match in straight sets but spoke about the violation in his on-court interview.
‘The hindrance [violation] could have changed the course of the match,’ Djokovic said.
‘I felt really nervous after that call from the umpire, 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. I actually didn’t feel I was causing any hindrance to my opponent but OK – it was a call that I had to respect.’
Speaking more generally about his win over Sinner to book his place in the Wimbledon final, Djokovic added: ‘The semi-final was always going to be very close and very intense.
‘I think maybe the scoreline doesn’t give the reality of what happened on court. It was super close. He missed a few shots and allowed me to get into the tie-break. He has proven why he is one of the leaders in the next generation and one of the best players in the world.’
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