Djokovic hit with record fine after Wimbledon loss
<p>Novak Djokovic has been fined a whopping £6,100 ($11,700) for smashing his racquet in frustration against the net post during the men's singles final at Wimbledon.</p>
<p>The Serbian player, who suffered a five-set defeat against Carlos Alcaraz, marking his first loss on Centre Court in a decade, was penalised for "racquet abuse" when he was crucially broken in the deciding set.</p>
<p>Acknowledging the fine, the world No. 2, who earned $2.3 million as the runner-up, stated, “It was frustration in the moment. He played amazing to break my serve, which was enough to win the fifth set.”</p>
<p>The final match garnered a peak audience of 11.3 million viewers on the BBC, representing the highest viewership since Andy Murray's victory in 2016, which attracted 13.3 million viewers.</p>
<p>The incident where Djokovic smashed his racquet was not the only time he tested the umpire's patience during the tense final.</p>
<p>A fortunate spectator managed to acquire the now iconic broken racquet after the match.</p>
<p>Furthermore, Djokovic received a time violation for exceeding the allotted time during his serve in the second set. As a result, the umpire issued a warning for his behaviour.</p>
<p>Although never a crowd favourite at SW19, Djokovic faced boos from the Wimbledon audience due to his outburst that resulted in the destruction of his racquet.</p>
<p>The £6,100 fine imposed on Djokovic stands as the highest individual fine given during this year's tournament, setting a record in 2023.</p>
<p>Similarly, Mirra Andreeva also incurred two fines totalling £6,100 during the tournament.</p>
<p>The 16-year-old Russian player struggled to control her temper throughout the event and was observed angrily striking herself during the early rounds.</p>
<p>She was eliminated in the round of 16 after unintentionally handing a match point to Maddison Keys.</p>
<p>Keys was awarded the point when Andreeva was deemed to have thrown her racquet to the ground after slipping, as confirmed by the umpire.</p>
<p>This incident marked the second time Andreeva had been involved in a racquet-related episode, as she had received a warning earlier in the match for tossing her racquet across the grass.</p>
<p>After her defeat to Keys, Andreeva declined to shake hands with the umpire.</p>
<p>For her conduct in the round of 16, she received two fines of A$5,860 each.</p>
<p><em>Image: YouTube</em></p>
