Novak Djokovic demolished his racquet on the net post during the 2023 Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz, and he's been fined for the code violation.
The 2023 Wimbledon Championships final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic was a rather spectacular one. It was by far the most entertaining one since the 2019 Wimbledon which also featured Djokovic and 5 sets. Unlike that match, this was one where the Serbian didn't win the match as he watched his younger opponent lift the trophy.
It was a great match, one that could have gone either way. Djokovic was millimeters away from taking a break in the final set, a break which likely would have sealed the win for him. He didn't get it done, and when he got broken, the Serbian demolished his racquet on the net post.
Some regrets. I had my chances. I think I could have closed out that second-set tiebreaker better. But credit to him for fighting and showing some incredible defensive skills, passing shots that got him the break in the fifth.
Smashing racquets isn't something new for Djokovic as he destroyed multiple racquets in his career and code violations aren't rare with him either. He got one earlier in the match for time and then another one for racquet abuse.
The second one obviously resulted in a fine, as the Serbian was handed a £6,150 ($8,000) fine for the code violation, which represented only a small part of £1,175,000 that he earned in prize money. After his match against Alcaraz, Djokovic was asked about smashing his racquet, and he said that it was simply a product of frustration. He didn't want to add anything else to that.
It was a frustration in the moment. I answered to your colleague two minutes ago about that. There's not much to say about that.
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